Mayor Lovely Warren Joins Mayors For Guaranteed Income

Mayor Lovely A. Warren announced Wednesday, May 12th that she has joined Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, a network of mayors advocating for a guaranteed income to ensure that all Americans are provided with a basic level of income. The topic of guaranteed income will be explored during the first meeting of the Mayor’s Reparations and Universal Basic Income Exploratory Committee, which will take place Tuesday, May 18.

N.Y. State Senator Jeremy Cooney introduced legislation to establish a pilot a cash relief program in Monroe County. The pilot would include 1,000 low-income households with children, chosen randomly from applicants residing in Monroe County. Those selected would then be provided $500 per month for the duration of the two-year pilot program.

“I’m proud to join with my fellow mayors and happy to see support coming from Senator Cooney to provide our families with access to a guaranteed income,” said Mayor Warren. “We can now move forward quickly on the commitment we made as members of Mayor’s for a Guaranteed Income. I am looking forward to the first public meeting of our Reparations and Universal Basic Income Exploratory Committee next week so we can begin talking about how to make this a reality in Rochester.”

The Reparations and Universal Basic Income Exploratory Committee was tasked by Mayor Warren in April 2021 to explore the implementation of reparations and a universal basic income program for Rochester. The exploratory committee will review existing reparations pilots in other cities across the country to see how similar programs can be developed for Rochester.

The committee is chaired by City Chief of Staff Brittaney Wells and Chief Equity Officer Dr. Cephas Archie. Representatives from faith, community, and philanthropic organizations have been invited to join the committee as members. Invited organizations include the Ibero-American Action League, Urban League of Rochester, Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, Action for a Better Community, United Way of Rochester and the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI).

– City of Rochester

May 12, 2021