One-Time $1,000 Stimulus Payment Announced for Washington Families

Some low-income families in Washington, D.C., are set to receive a payment of $1,000 as they prepare to return to school, according to Mayor Muriel Bowser on Thursday.

“We know that back-to-school time can be an expensive time of year for families—new uniforms, haircuts, supplies. There are a lot of expenses all at once,” Bowser said. “So we are disbursing these funds now to give families an extra cash bump during a busy time of year so that our students and families can have a strong start to an important school year.”

Families enrolled in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) are slated to receive the one-time payments, which were provided via the Congress-passed American Rescue Plan in 2021, over the next several weeks. The mayor’s office said that 15,000 families are enrolled in the program.

According to her office, the money specifically will be drawn from the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund, which is a federal program established by the American Rescue Plan.

“We know that the pace of economic recovery is not the same for all households,” said Laura Green Zeilinger, director of the Washington Department of Human Services, in a statement. “We are thrilled to be able to provide one-time payments to families receiving TANF as they prepare for back to school. We are thankful for the critical support of our federal partners at the Administration of Children and Families.”

The $1,000 payments are coming in addition to the $41 million in food assistance for District of Columbia children, announced by Bowser over the past summer.

Inflation

Such payments have triggered criticism for their usage amid decades-high inflation. The Consumer Price Index in July stood at 8.5 percent year-over-year, while the index rose 9.1 percent in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A number of states are also slated

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