Vice Mayor Anne Williams-Isom shared details this Sunday about the prepaid cards that the Administration plans to give to asylum seekers so they can buy food.
He clarified that it will not be for all immigrants and that they will start with 500 families through a pilot plan.
“Actually I agree, but let them give it to the person who really needs it. That they have children and that in reality they are going to use that benefit for their own benefit, not that they are going to use it for other things,” said Frank Totesaut, an asylum seeker.
The Mayor’s Office explained some details of the prepaid cards:
-You will have a limited amount of money to use daily and you will only be able to buy food and baby items at local wineries and stores.
-Cards have a 28 day cycle, and money will be added every 4 weeks.
About the amounts of money that the cards will have:
-A family of four people with two children will receive $1,395 monthly.
-Divided by 28 days, it is 49 dollars and 83 cents per day. That’s $12.45 per person, per day.
For their part, single women or men would receive $345 per month.
In this regard, some asylum seekers said it would be fine, but what they want most is to be able to work.
“Grateful, because at first there is no work and with children it is difficult, but anyway, we are here for a purpose that is also to come to work and be able to return to our countries,” said Rocío Flores, an asylum-seeking mother.
“If they want to help us, give us a work permit, ‘social security’, so that we can become independent, not depend on the State,” said José Ramón Hernández.
At the same time, there are those who question this new aid.
“I don’t know, I think it’s a complicated issue. There are many New Yorkers who invest a lot of money to be here and they are being given a free trip. I don’t want people to suffer, but there has to be a limit at some point,” said the neighbor Dirck Hartmans.
Additionally, the card would replace the boxes of non-perishable food that are not being used in the shelters.
In a statement, the Mayor’s Office said: “Not only will this provide families with the ability to purchase fresh foods for their culturally relevant diets and baby supplies of their choice, but the pilot program is expected to save the City more than $600,000. per month”.
In terms of restrictions, they will work the same as an EBT (food stamp) card.
The Administration has not yet confirmed the date of distribution of these prepaid cards, however, Vice Mayor Anne Williams-Isom said that the pilot program could begin this week.
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2024-02-26 19:52:00
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