Like millions of low-income American families, the couple were brought to the brink by the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus. Unlike most of those families, Proctor received at least a temporary lifeline with the cash infusion. As the pandemic pushed many already struggling families into poverty, the cash payment to the 353 families participating in the Thrive East of the River program was an effort to stabilize them and their community. According to the Urban Institute, the project appears to be the largest payment of short-term private emergency cash relief ever offered in the United States. One woman who received the cash used some of it to regularly make and deliver meals to senior citizens.

Source: Washington Post January 01, 2021 22:07 UTC