REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 30, 2022 — My New Red Shoes (MNRS) is proud to announce Project Empower, a new basic income pilot that will provide direct cash assistance to immigrant survivors of gender-based violence and their children. In partnership with Tahirih Justice Center, a national non-profit organization serving immigrant survivors, and Community Financial Resources, a national economic justice non-profit, MNRS is providing participant households across the San Francisco Bay Area with $1,000 a month for 6 months, beginning March 2022.
Serving 30 individuals including 20 children, the goals of Project Empower are to stabilize households, promote children’s well-being and healthy development, and empower families to realize their goals for the future.
“We believe that all children deserve to have their basic needs met. Providing direct economic support is an effective way to keep children out of poverty and to help stabilize and build the resilience of vulnerable families,” says Minh Ngo, Executive Director of My New Red Shoes. “Through this exciting new basic income pilot, we are making an investment in the long-term well-being of children and families and helping to fill gaps left by existing social safety net programs in our community.”
“We are grateful for this partnership and thrilled to officially launch Project Empower this month!” says Zoe Verni, Legal Fellow and Tech Access Coordinator at Tahirih Justice Center. “Our clients are experts in their owns lives, which is why they are empowered to spend the financial aid as they see fit. We envision that this client-centered program will help to not only alleviate the residual financial strains of the pandemic, but also address systemic funding gaps.
BACKGROUND
My New Red Shoes is a San Francisco Bay Area-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been improving the quality of life and well-being of children and youth experiencing economic hardship since 2006. www.mynewredshoes.org
About Tahirih Justice Center
Tahirih Justice Center is national nonprofit that has served over 30,000 immigrant survivors fleeing gender-based violence since 1997. Its interdisciplinary, trauma-informed service model is now delivered from five locations: Atlanta, Baltimore, Greater D.C. Area, Houston, and San Francisco Bay Area. www.tahirih.org
About Community Financial Resources
Community Financial Resources (CFR) is a national nonprofit economic justice organization that provides a pathway to financial well-being through products, tools and services that improve financial stability, protect assets, and establish a foundation to build wealth for low-income, low-wealth households, with a focus on communities of color. www.communityfinancialresources.org
