Massachusetts mayor wants nation to see positive impact of cash handouts as city tackles poverty

The mayor of Salem, Massachusetts wants the nation to see the positive impact of a $500-per-month cash handout program that was created to address poverty.

The recipients of the guaranteed income program, called "Uplift Salem," and a separate control group of 100 others were involved in a study, which led to results showing a net positive for the community, the mayor claimed.

"It increases employment, strengthens our economy, and helps children thrive in school. These are investments in the integrity and strength of our community as a whole," Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo said in a statement provided by Uplift Salem on Thursday.

Similar to other pilot guaranteed income programs across the country that launched using American Rescue Plan Act funds, Uplift Salem was studied by researchers to measure its benefits to the recipients of cash payments and the overall community. 

"Uplift Salem was an opportunity for us to add to the body of work demonstrating the efficacy of these programs," Pangallo added. He continued, "We will continue to advance the conversation at both the state and national level as well, demonstrating how positive an impact these programs have had."

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Pangallo's comments came ahead of a panel scheduled at Salem State University. Researchers plan to explain how the findings from the study impacted recipients and address a "plethora of systemic issues that impact those recipients and compound issues in poverty."

Launched in 2024, the 12-month pilot program that was launched to help "directly address poverty" concluded in the city late last year after offering 100 eligible participants monthly payments of $500 for a year. 

"The data from the SSU research partners demonstrated that programs like Uplift Salem provide a broad community benefit: When neighbors have more consistent access to supports like healthcare, childcare, and transportation, it improves the community overall," Pangallo said.

Uplift Salem was funded by private contributions by project partners and a non-profit called "UpTogether," totaling $685,000. 

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"UpTogether," which advocates for "government and philanthropy" to "provide unrestricted and unconditional cash to communities," was involved in the implementation of Uplift Salem. They also facilitated the program in Austin, Texas, which was credited for reducing housing insecurity in the city after a study was conducted, researchers claimed. 

Advocates for guaranteed income hope to expand pilot programs to operate at the state and even federal level and into permanence.

The pilot program in Cook County, Illinois, the state's largest county that oversees Chicago, was later expanded into a permanent program, becoming the first guaranteed income program in the country to continue permanently. 

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Although researchers and local officials tout the impact of these programs, some have faced resistance on legal grounds. Harris County, which comprises the city of Houston in Texas, had its own guaranteed income program in 2024, which was sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The Texas Supreme Court issued a ruling that froze the program, affecting the Austin guaranteed income program.

Pangallo did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.