$500 payments tested in upstate N.Y.

A woman empties trash into a dumpster in Ellenville, N.Y., Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A woman empties trash into a dumpster in Ellenville, N.Y., Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Annette Steele isn't destitute or unemployed, but for a year, she'll be receiving $500 per month in no-strings-attached payments as part of an experimental universal basic income program in upstate New York.

Communities from Compton, Calif., to Richmond, Va., are trying out guaranteed income programs, which gained more attention after the pandemic idled millions of workers.

Steele, a special education school aide, is getting her payments through a program in Ulster County, which covers parts of the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River Valley. During the pilot program, funded by private donations, 100 county residents making less than $46,900 annually will get $500 a month for a year.

The income threshold was based on 80% of the county's average median income, meaning it includes both the poor and a slice of the middle class -- people who face financial stress but might not ordinarily qualify for government aid based on income.

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For researchers, the pilot could give them a fuller picture of what happens when a range of people are sent payments that guarantee a basic living. It's a welcome financial boost that helped her pay for car insurance and groceries for Steele, 57.

"It lessens my bills," said Steele, who lives in Ellenville with her retired husband. "People think because you've been working so many years, that you make this tremendous amount of money. But no, actually."

Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is a popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains.

Basic income programs elsewhere tend to focus on cities. In contrast, this upstate program stretches out over a mix of places: a city, small towns and remote areas many miles from bus lines and supermarkets.

"Showing that this approach will work not just in urban areas, but for rural parts of the country -- which we know is one of our big national problems -- I think there's great opportunity there," said Ulster County Executive Patrick Ryan.

Ryan saw cash payments as a way to help local families struggling to get ahead, or even get by, as the pandemic ebbs. Many people in the county were already stretched thin by housing costs before the pandemic, when a large influx of New York City residents led to skyrocketing real estate prices, he said.

The first payments were made in mid-May. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status.

The Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania, which the school formed with the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, is evaluating the pilot program.

Recipient Eric Luna, a 26-year-old electrical lab technician, said the money will help pay the bills at the home he recently helped his parents buy in Wallkill. But he also hopes to set some aside, possibly for a master's degree.

There were more than 4,200 applicants for the program in a county of 178,000 people. Center for Guaranteed Income Research co-founder Stacia West, who is evaluating more than 20 such pilot programs, is interested in seeing how spending compares to cities like Stockton, Calif., where more that a third went for food.

"Knowing what we know about barriers to employment, especially in rural areas, we may see more money going toward transportation than we've ever seen before in any other experiment," said West, also a professor at the University of Tennessee College of Social Work. "But it remains to be seen."

The end goal for a number of advocates is a universal basic income, or UBI, which would distribute cash payment programs for all adults.

Critics of cash transfer programs worry about their effectiveness and cost compared to aid programs that target funds for food, shelter or for help raising children.

"If we keep thinking about remedying poverty in terms of just throwing cash at people, you're not thinking about the structures that kind of reproduce poverty in the first place and you're not really solving the problem at all," said Drake University economics professor Heath Henderson.

Surrounded by trees and mountains, Ellenville, N.Y., is seen Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Surrounded by trees and mountains, Ellenville, N.Y., is seen Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
People walk on one of the main streets in Ellenville, N.Y., Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
People walk on one of the main streets in Ellenville, N.Y., Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A man walks across the street in Ellenville, N.Y., Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A man walks across the street in Ellenville, N.Y., Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A woman leans out of a window to smoke in Ellenville, N.Y., Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A woman leans out of a window to smoke in Ellenville, N.Y., Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A man is dropped off on a corner in Ellenville, N.Y., Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A man is dropped off on a corner in Ellenville, N.Y., Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Surrounded by trees and mountains, Ellenville, N.Y., is seen Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Surrounded by trees and mountains, Ellenville, N.Y., is seen Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
People walk on one of the main streets in Ellenville, N.Y., Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
People walk on one of the main streets in Ellenville, N.Y., Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A man walks past a theatre that has been repurposed as a taxi service in Ellenville, N.Y., Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A man walks past a theatre that has been repurposed as a taxi service in Ellenville, N.Y., Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Surrounded by trees and mountains, Ellenville, N.Y., is seen Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Surrounded by trees and mountains, Ellenville, N.Y., is seen Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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