Stack Overflow co-founder Jeff Atwood announced that he would provide guaranteed income to over 560 US families in West Virginia’s Mercer County. The program will hand out millions of dollars in cash directly to the families with no spending strings attached.
West Virginia’s Mercer County residents will receive $1,500 monthly for a period of 16 months. The overall cash distribution will come to around $13.4 million. The Rural Income for Self-Empowerment (RISE) initiative will administer the nonprofit GiveDirectly, which is funded by Jeff Atwood.
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Mercer County Residents in the US To Receive Guaranteed Income
Stack Overflow was sold in 2021 for close to $1.6 billion, and Jeff Atwood will use these funds to give back to society. The program is designed to honor family roots, test the powers of cash transfers, and unlock people’s potential. However, only eligible US citizens from Mercer County can receive the guaranteed income.
“And then I came back to my partner volunteers at the food bank, and I realized that part of it is that we have everything that we need. Like how can we help other people get what they need, you know,” Atwood said to WVVA. The eligibility to receive the guaranteed income for the US Country residents is below:
- Must be 18 years or older
- Income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level
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A person’s income below $31,200 for a year falls under the Federal poverty level. Many in the US county are believed to be under the level. Also, Jeff Atwood selected Mercer County because that is where his parents grew up and lived.
“We’re starting with the counties my parents grew up in. My father was born in Mercer County, West Virginia,” in the US, Atwood said. “My mother was born in Beaufort County, North Carolina. Both of those counties are still in generational poverty. So, I want to see what we can do about that,” he said.