NORTHERN MIGHIGAN, (WPBN/WGTU) – – A pregnancy welfare program is expanding from lower Michigan into the Upper Peninsula.
It’s a public-private partnership called Rx Kids, and it gives unconditional cash to pregnant women to help cover living expenses.
“If needs don’t get met in that critical time of pregnancy and in that first year of life, there are problems that will happen that will plague these children the rest of their lives,” said Sen. John Damoose. (R) Harbor Springs.
Rx Kids says it’s a prescription for poverty.
Instead of handing out drugs, they give out $1,500 a month to pregnant mothers.
Starting March 3, mothers in Alger, Chippewa, Luce, Mackinac and Schoolcraft counties can apply for the program.
Rx Kids began in Flint last year and just came online in Kalamazoo.
The expansion is in part thanks to a $20-million item in the state budget.
Both State Senator Damoose and Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist say they like Rx Kids for trusting families unconditionally.
“The thing that is important is that it is not placing artificial parameters around what people can do because people know what their challenges are and know how to address them. It is about being grounded and the fact that we trust people with their lives,” said Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, State of Michigan.
“It is direct money to parents who are the ones in need and its funded partially through public knowledge. The actual public has skinned the game and goes right to where the need is. I don’t see a lot of programs that are that efficient,” said Damoose.
The payments continue after birth, $500 a month for six months.
Hanna says in just two days, more than 200 Kalamazoo mothers have applied.
Hanna says they plan to bring Rx Kids to metro Detroit and Saginaw later this year.
You can learn more about how to apply on their website.
发表回复