My New Red Shoes 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."