Committee approves pilot program providing stipend to families at poverty line

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Milwaukee alderwoman wants to give families in need hundreds of dollars a month to spend as they wish.

Chantia Lewis is proposing a new pilot program that would provide a $500 basic monthly income to 50 families living at the poverty line.

The program would use $100,000 taken from the police department budget.

Lewis says the program is based on a similar one in Stockton, California.

The program will focus on low-income and working class people living in zip codes where the average income is at or below the poverty line.

The families will be provided with financial literacy and resources to set them up for success after the program period has expired.

The Finance and Personnel committee approved the plan on Oct. 31.

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