Launched July 2021.

The Paterson Guaranteed Income Pilot Program was a collaboration between the City of Paterson and CGIR. In Phase One, CGIR designed a Randomized Controlled Trial to assess the impacts of the program on the overall health and well-being of participants. By means of a lottery, 110 people aged 18 years and above who were earning below New Jersey’s annual living wage ($30,000 for individuals or $88,000 for households) were chosen to receive $400 per month as unconditional cash for 12 months.

The City of Paterson launched Phase Two of the Paterson Guaranteed Income Program in December of 2023. The second phase of the program was designed to support families and individuals whose households earned below a livable wage. The program provided $400/month for 12 months to 200 randomly selected participants. An additional 250 participants engaged in research activities as part of the study’s control group.