New York, NY – Poor To Get Cash For Positive Actions.

New York, NY – Mayor Michael Bloomberg Thursday unveiled a novel $50-million initiative that will pay poor New York families cash for taking steps to lift themselves out of poverty by keeping their children in school, staying healthy and earning more.

Under the two-year pilot program, 2,500 families will earn rewards ranging from $50 to $300 for attaining goals such as attending a parent-teacher conference, visiting the dentist or getting job training.

A family would get the money once every two months and could receive $3,000 to $5,000 a year, city officials said.

“We’ll offer cash to families as a way of encouraging parents and young people to take positive actions: to stay in school, to stay healthy and increase their earnings — all key ways to rise out of poverty,” Bloomberg said at a news conference in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood.

He added, “No city or state in America has ever invested in a conditional cash transfer program.” [NYPost]