‘The first of our kind in the nation’: City approves funding for new program to help new moms
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FLINT, Michigan (WNEM) — Flint approved $1 million in ARPA funds for a new first-of-its-kind program to help mothers in Flint.
Rx Kids will provide direct payments to Flint mothers during pregnancy and in the first year of their child’s life.
“This is a great program,” said Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley. “It’s the first of our kind in the nation.”
It’s a program to address child poverty and health equity. The multimillion-dollar project will be funded in part by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
“We can help subsidize mothers, lifting them out of poverty with one stipend and then a monthly payment for them and their child,” said Neeley.
Women can enroll in the program at 20 weeks of pregnancy and will receive an initial $1,500 cash transfer. After giving birth, they will receive $500 per month for a year. It’s expected to serve 1,200 new mothers in Flint each year for a total of 6,000 served over the initial 5 years.
Neeley said this will help decrease maternal and infant mortality rates. “When we look at the infant mortality ratios when we talk about Black and Brown communities the child dies four times more than children not of color, or the maternal mortality of women of color as a byproduct of being pregnant and trying to be mothers,” Neeley said. “A subsidiary like this can also support a healthier community and healthier families.”
The program is in partnership with a number of local community organizations including the Mott Foundation, Michigan Health Endowment Foundation, the Jacobs Family Foundation, Give Directly, and Michigan State University.
“I think it’s going to expand beyond the borders of Flint,” said Neeley. “I think every underserved community that has a high level of poverty in the community will start to look at this as a model to be able to help families.”
The program is slated to start early next year.
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