Logo

An experimental anti-poverty program that pays poor New Yorkers for good behavior like getting health insurance and attending parent-teacher conferences has had mixed results.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s pilot program began in 2007 and the first analysis was released Tuesday.

In two years, 2,400 participating families were paid a total of $14 million. Payments averaged about $3,000 a year per family. The money came from private donations.

The city said participants improved on several targets. More people established bank accounts and stopped using costly check cashing services. More people saw the dentist.

The rewards had no effect on school performance and attendance for young children or low-performing high schoolers.

The idea was modeled on efforts in other countries.

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy