For Immediate Release: November 21, 2022  

More Than 4,000 Alexandria Residents Applied for City of Alexandria’s ARISE Guaranteed Income Pilot
170 eligible residents will be randomly selected to receive $500 a month for 24 months

The City of Alexandria received 4,149 applications for its new guaranteed income pilot, Alexandria’s Recurring Income for Success and Equity (ARISE), during the online application period between October 31 and November 9, 2022. Individuals who are City of Alexandria residents, 18 years old or older and have a household income at or below 50% of Alexandria’s area median income were eligible to apply. There were no citizenship or work requirements to be eligible.

ARISE’s evaluation partner, Abt Associates, will randomly select 170 eligible applicants from the submitted applications. Participants will receive $500 every month for 24 months to spend any way they choose. Guaranteed income pilots have proven to have a positive impact on poverty and economic inequity by enabling participants to determine for themselves the budgetary strategies that will most benefit them and their families.

The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) partnered with a network of other community-based organizations in Alexandria — such as African Communities Together, Neighborhood Health and Tenants and Workers United — that provided staff to reach and support applicants through the process. In addition, DCHS collaborated with recreation centers and libraries and recruited and trained volunteers to provide additional public spaces and one-on-one support to applicants to access and complete the online application.

“As a trusted community-based organization, we felt it was important to provide the much-needed support for community members to submit applications for ARISE. This program provides a wonderful opportunity for those in our community at the lowest income levels, and we were happy to be a part of it,” said Evelin Urrutia, executive director of Tenants and Workers United.

Next, Abt Associates will review submitted applications to remove duplicates and check eligibility requirements before they randomly select 170 ARISE participants from the verified applications.

In December, DCHS will notify the selected applicants to participate in ARISE and conduct one-on-one onboarding of participants. Applicants not selected to participate in ARISE will receive an email notification. Applicants can also check the ARISE homepage for updates on the notification process.

ARISE participants will receive their first checks by February 2023.

Visit alexandriava.gov/ARISE for more information about the ARISE guaranteed income pilot and program updates. 

For inquiries from the news media only, contact Julie Mullen, Economic Mobility Program Officer, at julie.mullen@alexandriava.gov or 703.946.1457.

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