Starting on Wednesday, Oct. 2, expecting mothers in Connecticut can apply for a financial assistance program funded by New York-based nonprofit The Bridge Project.
The Bridge Project has programs in New York and Wisconsin, and it says it’s helped over 1,300 babies. It gives mothers monthly stipends throughout their pregnancy and for the first few years of their child’s life. The goal is to improve financial stability for mothers and prevent childhood poverty.
“In the 1,300 moms that we've supported…we've seen a 242% increase in their financial savings after six months in the program. We found that 63% of them, if they started in transitional housing, are in permanent housing after 12 months…80% of moms are working in a full or part-time capacity after 18 months in the program,” said Laura Clancy, executive director of The Bridge Project.
“We're not providing enough cash that anyone is quitting their job. We're just providing some stabilizing support to moms… so we're really proud of those outcomes, and we’re confident that in Connecticut we're going to be able to see just as positive outcomes, if not even better.”
The organization anticipates that all of the mothers they fund in Connecticut will also be eligible for the state’s Baby Bonds program, which invests $3,200 in children born into poverty. It said this would be the nation’s first opportunity to observe the benefits of supplemental income paired with wealth-building policies.
