Basic Cash Assistance for Households
Basic Cash Assistance for Households was a City and County of Denver program, funded with $3 million in federal ARPA COVID-19 recovery dollars, that provided one-time cash payments to Denver families who were ineligible for federal public benefits, including many immigrant and refugee households. Denver's Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (within the Agency for Human Rights and Community Partnerships) contracted Impact Charitable to administer the program, which in turn partnered with AidKit and a network of community-based organizations for outreach and enrollment. Eligible households received $1,000 to $1,500 as a one-time payment via prepaid debit card or direct deposit. Applications opened September 12, 2023 and the program was expected to serve 1,800 to 2,200 households.
COVID-19 relief, ARPA funds, immigrant and refugee households, city-funded, one-time cash assistance, prepaid debit card
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- City and County of Denver (Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs / Agency for Human Rights and Community Partnerships), administered by Impact Charitable
- City
- Denver
- State / Province
- Colorado
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 720 239 2789
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 2,000
- Funding type
- Government
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 1,500 USD
- Payment frequency
- Lump Sum
- Distribution Type
- Direct deposit to bank account, Pre-Paid debit card
- Benefit details
Base payment was $1,000, with an additional $500 available (total up to $1,500) to households in a census tract where 50% of households have incomes below 40% of area median income, or households with two or more children. Payments were disbursed via prepaid debit card or direct deposit, administered through AidKit's platform. This was a one-time, lump-sum payment, not a recurring stipend.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Applicant had to be head of household, not personally eligible for federally funded public benefits (e.g., unemployment insurance), and have at least one child under 18 in the household. Households also had to either live in a qualified census tract, have a child eligible for a qualifying benefits program (CHIP, NSLP/SBP, Head Start), or have experienced housing insecurity, and be impacted by COVID-19 or its aftermath. Applicants needed to have lived in Denver for at least the prior 60 days and provide photo ID (foreign IDs accepted).
Family
- Family Status
- Parent
- Number of dependents (minimum)
- 1
Health
- Health conditions
- COVID-19 impact
Financial
- Income as % of Area Median Income
- 40,500 %
- Currently receiving government benefits
- Disqualifying
Citizenship
- Citizenship / immigration status
- Undocumented, Refugee, Permanent Resident, Citizen
Geography
- US states covered
- Colorado
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Denver
- Counties covered
- Denver
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
- Minimum Years A Resident of Target Geography
- 1 years
Application Process
- How to apply
Interested families started by filling out an online interest form at impactcharitable.org/bcah/, after which a staff member reached out to screen potential applicants for eligibility. Applications were also facilitated through trusted community-based organization partners conducting outreach in their respective communities. Applications were accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until program funds were exhausted.
- Selection process
First-come, first-served basis among applicants who met eligibility criteria, verified by Impact Charitable staff and partner community organizations, until the $3 million in ARPA funding was fully allocated.
