The Prosperity Project: Pilot program lifts families out of poverty

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- It's amazing what a safety net can provide: stability and room for growth on an otherwise rocky road.

Xiente, a community development corporation, is providing that stability in the form of universal income each month for 10 families.

"Our primary target are families with children because it's a two-generation approach," says Michelle Carrera, the CEO of Xiente.

Xiente has been in Norris Square for more than 40 years. Its focus is on economic stability, breaking out of poverty and into the middle class.

Their Prosperity Project connects 500 families with counselors to provide financial coaching and literacy.

For10 families, Xiente has launched the universal income pilot program. It gives them $500 per month and provides affordable housing.

"We're not giving the $500 and that's it. They have a counselor working with them. They have a person that they can come and say, 'This is what I'm struggling with this month. How do I adjust in order to achieve the goal of mobility?'" says Carrera.

Carrera says one issue holding people back is a "benefits cliff," which is when someone makes too much money to qualify for government assistance, but not enough to make needs meet.

Xiente wants to bridge that gap with this program, and they want policymakers to listen up.