Pregnant Philadelphians can still apply to the Philly Joy Bank for cash assistance

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Slots are filling up for the city’s new Philly Joy Bank, a program that provides $1,000 a month in cash assistance to pregnant residents with low incomes.

But city leaders say there are still opportunities for people to participate and encourage eligible residents to apply sooner rather than later.

“We’re still doing continuous outreach with organizations in our target neighborhoods, reminding folks, hey, we’re still accepting applications,” said Nia Coaxum, program manager for Philly Joy Bank.

Philly Joy Bank launched in June as a pilot program. It provides participants with $1,000 a month in no-strings-attached income for a total of 18 months to help support them during pregnancy and postpartum.

The long-term goals of the program is to improve maternal and infant outcomes, especially among people with low incomes, and to reduce racial disparities.

In Philadelphia, Black infants are three times more likely to die before their first birthday than white infants, city data show.

Expecting mothers must be at least 18, have an annual household income of under $100,000 and live in either Cobbs Creek, Nicetown-Tioga or Strawberry Mansion, which are neighborhoods with the highest rates of babies born at very low birth weights, according to city officials.

People can apply when they are in their second trimester — between 12 and 24 weeks of gestation. They are then entered into a lottery and randomly selected for the program.

The pilot year of the Philly Joy Bank will cap participation at 250 people. As of mid-September, 111 have been enrolled and are receiving $1,000 a month.

“I’ve heard from participants who are being enrolled, they’re like, ‘Oh, I never get selected for anything, I never win anything, I’m so surprised.’ But you really never know,” Coaxum said. “Just take a chance if you’re eligible.”

Unhoused pregnant women are also encouraged to apply. They are eligible if they live in shelters in the target neighborhoods or if they are temporarily staying with someone who is a permanent resident of those neighborhoods.

Coaxum said people have two chances to be selected in the lottery process, as long as they are still in the second trimester of pregnancy when both the drawings are done, so applying at or soon after 12 weeks is recommended.

Program leaders said they are working with community organizations, grassroots groups and other programs to help increase awareness about Philly Joy Bank.

“We’ve even had flyers put in corner stores, in faith-based institutions and organizations, schools, really just anywhere the information can be found,” Coaxum said. “And even if people are coming across it and it doesn’t apply to them, they can definitely spread the word to others they may know who are expecting.”

There are no restrictions on how the cash assistance can be used. Coaxum said some participants have voluntarily reported that they are saving the money to use after the baby is born. Others said they are using it to help pay utility bills, rent, groceries or other daily expenses.

“This money is unrestricted,” Coaxum said. “They can use it to meet their needs as they see fit.”

More information about the Philly Joy Bank is online at phillyjoybank.org.