NYC Antipoverty Program Seeks to Change Behaviors

Patterned after a similar project in Mexico, a new antipoverty program in New York will pay poor families cash rewards for meeting certain goals, reports The New York Times.

Opportunity NYC, now in a pilot phase, will give poor families up to $5,000 a year for meeting such criteria as having excellent attendance in elementary school, going for a check-up at the doctor’s office, or keeping a job.

Reactions are mixed among antipoverty advocates. Some point to the successes such programs have had in Mexico and other countries in increasing school attendance and improving health, while others suggest that the emphasis on personal behavior does not attack institutional sources of poverty, such as the economy.

“In the private sector, financial incentives encourage actions that are good for the company: working harder, hitting sales targets, or landing more clients,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg in an announcement. “In the public sector, we believe that financial incentives will encourage actions that are good for the city and its families: higher attendance in schools, more parental involvement in education, and better career skills.”

Contributors to the effort include AIG and the Open Society Institute, as well as the Robin Hood, Rockefeller, and Starr Foundations.

For more on philanthropy’s approach to fighting poverty, read The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s coverage of recent efforts.

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