Elm City Reentry Pilot
The Elm City Reentry Pilot (branded on 4-CT's site as "Cash for Reentry") is a guaranteed income program run by the Connecticut nonprofit 4-CT for formerly incarcerated individuals returning to the New Haven area. Participants are identified and referred by the Project M.O.R.E. Reentry Welcome Center and receive $500 per month for 12 months on a combined Elm City Resident ID and prepaid Mastercard, developed with the City of New Haven, Mastercard's Global Cities team, and Usio, Inc. The pilot launched in March 2023 and has run three roughly 20-person cohorts through fall 2024, reaching about 60 participants total. It is funded entirely through private philanthropy.
Guaranteed Income, Reentry, Formerly Incarcerated, Prepaid Mastercard, Elm City Resident ID, New Haven
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- 4-CT
- City
- New Haven
- State / Province
- Connecticut
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Website
- https://www.4-ct.org/
- connect@4-ct.org
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 20
- Funding type
- Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 6,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 500 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Distribution Type
- Debit Card
- Benefit details
Each participant receives an Elm City Resident ID card that doubles as a prepaid Mastercard, loaded with $500 in unconditional cash monthly for 12 months ($6,000 total per participant). Funds carry no spending restrictions. Distribution has occurred in successive ~20-person cohorts: Cohort 1 (March 2023-February 2024), Cohort 2 (August 2023-July 2024), and a third cohort readying for fall 2024.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
The pilot targets individuals returning from incarceration to a New Haven City or County address, identified and referred by the Project M.O.R.E. Reentry Welcome Center, which also provides broader reentry services. Across cohorts, participants have ranged in age from 19 to 74, with sentence lengths from 6 months to over 30 years. There is no open public application; enrollment happens through the reentry welcome center's referral and selection process.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 19
- Maximum age
- 74
Justice
- Justice involvement status
- Formerly Incarcerated
Geography
- US states covered
- Connecticut
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- New Haven
- Counties covered
- New Haven
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Complementary program enrollment required
- Project M.O.R.E. Reentry Welcome Center reentry services
- Research / participation requirements
4-CT conducts its own in-house evaluation. Participants take part in quarterly surveys and interviews with 4-CT, and the organization analyzes prepaid-card spending data. The evaluation covers employment status, housing security, family relationships, community engagement, mental health, and recidivism. No formal external research report with quantitative findings had been published as of the sources reviewed.
Application Process
- How to apply
There is no open public application; individuals cannot self-enroll. Prospective participants come to the program as clients of the Project M.O.R.E. Reentry Welcome Center, which connects returning residents to reentry services (ID, housing, employment, benefits, etc.). 4-CT and Project M.O.R.E. identify eligible candidates from among the center's existing clients for each new cohort.
- Selection process
Participants are selected by the Project M.O.R.E. Reentry Welcome Center from among individuals it serves who are returning to a New Haven City or County address. Selection has proceeded in successive cohorts of about 20 people (three cohorts through fall 2024, roughly 60 participants total).
