On December 9th, 2024, the following letter was sent to Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Carl H. Heastie.

Unconditional Cash Support for New Yorkers is Critical to Building Strong Communities

100 organizations across New York State demand the expansion of successful direct cash transfer programs and reforms to public benefits, such as TANF, expanding tax credits, and investing in new programs such as baby bonds. 

On behalf of 100 organizations representing social services and health care providers, educators, policy advocates, and organizers who work on behalf of children, families, those experiencing homelessness, and workers across New York State, we urge you to support expanding guaranteed income projects, increasing Cash Assistance grant levels while reducing conditions on assistance, and expanding tax credits by passing critical legislation in the year ahead.  The New York State Cash Alliance is ready to partner on this important work.

The overwhelming evidence from guaranteed income demonstrations across the U.S., including New York, show that unconditional cash helps people to work, advance economically, and plan for the future; builds strong and resilient families; supports people providing care to loved ones during times of crisis; and strengthens community ties.  There are more than 100 pilot programs operating across 35 states in the US, with nearly 60,000 people receiving unconditional cash. Government leaders from across the political spectrum are embracing guaranteed income as a critical part of public policy to promote economic mobility, support family integrity, and move people out of homelessness.

Right here in New York, we have programs operating in Hudson, Mount Vernon, Buffalo, Rochester, New York City, and Ulster County. These homegrown guaranteed income pilots are showing that unrestricted cash benefits a wide range of people in diverse communities and geographies. For example: 

Pregnant and Parenting People 

• The Bridge Project pilots show  the effectiveness of providing financial stabilization to moms during the prenatal and infancy period.

• The NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) pilots support families who have come to the attention of the child welfare system because of family poverty.  

Young Adults

• The YouthNPower: Transforming Care pilot supports emerging adults after leaving foster care.

• The Trust Youth Initiative pilot supports young adults who have experienced homelessness and housing instability.

Essential But Often Undercompensated Workers

• The Creatives Rebuild New York pilot provided artists who have financial need with regular, no-strings-attached cash payments.  

People Living in Poverty

• The Ulster County pilot, which provides a guaranteed income to people living in households making 80% of the Area Median Income, grew out of community-led mutual aid activities during the pandemic.

For financial relief to reach all New Yorkers in need, the Cash Alliance also supports policies to increase access to unconditional cash, including shifting existing public benefits toward an unconditional cash model, expanding tax credits, and investing in new programs such as baby bonds. 

The next steps are clear: championing expanded support for families, scaling-up local pilots, and building a state-wide guaranteed income with public dollars, shaped by local knowledge and leadership. The newly-launched New York State Cash Alliance is a coalition of advocates, service providers, researchers, and community members fighting to make this a reality.  We know that unconditional cash builds economic security for people, based on shared values of self-determination and autonomy.

New York State can take bold leadership to expand unconditional cash support by including several promising pieces of legislation in the FY2025-26 budget. Specifically: 

• Baby Bucks Allowance Bill (S.2132/A.1597): provides direct cash assistance to income-eligible parents, for the last three months of pregnancy and first 18 months of a child's life. 

• Reentry Assistance Bill (A.193): increases the amount of money some receive coming home from incarceration.

• Transition Age Youth Bill (S.3102): establishes an unconditional cash assistance program for youth leaving foster care as young adults. 

• Child and Family Wellbeing Act Bill (A.10274): establishes a fund for communities to use to support the needs of children and families, including cash assistance. 

• The Working Families Tax Credit (S.277A/A.4022): improves and expands tax credits provided to families quarterly on a sliding scale based on income. 

• Cash Assistance Reform Package: a package of bills relating to reforming current cash assistance programs, including increasing the benefit amount (A.106/S.1127), establishing parity for homeless recipients (A.108/S.113) and helping working recipients to save more (S.182).

We look forward to working with you in the year ahead to advance our collective goals for economic mobility, family resilience, and community wellbeing.

To see a full list of organizations who have signed onto the letter, please visit the following link.