Detroit Today: Ann Arbor’s plan to guarantee income to small business owners
Ann Arbor’s new plan to expand small businesses involves offering guaranteed income to low and median income entrepreneurs
A view of downtown Ann Arbor.
The Ann Arbor City Council recently approved a guaranteed income pilot program for 100 random entrepreneurs with low and moderate incomes, providing them $525 a month for 2 years.
Funding is provided by $1.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars. Proponents of the program say it provides a safety net for financially burdened households.
Ann Arbor City Councilmember Lihn Song, who is the lead sponsor for the city’s pilot program, joined Detroit Today to discuss why the city is implementing a guaranteed income program.
Listen: Ann Arbor’s plan to guarantee income to small business owners
Guest
Linh Song is Ann Arbor’s Ward 2 City Councilmember, and the lead sponsor for the guaranteed income program. Song says many small businesses were wiped out during the COVID-19 pandemic, erasing an integral part of Ann Arbor’s community.
“We got behind this idea because we felt that this was how we could best dedicate money that’s supposed to be responsive to pandemic relief,” Song explains.
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