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How monthly payments are changing the lives of two pregnant women living in Milwaukee

Updated: 07-11-2024, 11.47 AM

Yeanna Botello and Sarah Powless found out at critical points during their pregnancies that life was about to get a little easier for them.

Of the 880 pregnant Milwaukee mothers who applied earlier this year for a first-of-its-kind, pilot program to provide funding to pregnant mothers who earn less than $39,000 a year, Botello and Powless were among the 100 expectant moms picked through a lottery.

“Less stressful” is how they both describe the impact the first few months of extra money has had on their pregnancies this time around.

Beyond that they are spending and saving the money in different ways. And that’s the point.

“This is about empowerment, choices and trust,” Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic told the Journal Sentinel. I trust Milwaukee moms. I know they will do right by their children.”

Dimitrijevic led the effort to allocate $350,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to extend the two-year, guaranteed income program for a third year. Her proposal passed the Milwaukee Common Council with a super majority vote in October.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson did not approve the proposal, citing his support for the program in an Oct. 25 letter to council members but disagreeing that funding belonged outside the philanthropic world, adding “city taxpayer support for these unconditional cash transfers is not sustainable,” in the future.

The Bridge Project program’s first two years is being funded through $1.6 million from the Zilber Family Foundation and $250,000 from the New York-based Monarch Foundation that created the program on the belief mothers know best what they need. They are given monthly stipends with no parameters on how the money needs to be spent.

With the council members’ support, the 100 mothers now will receive $20,250 during the “crucial first 1,000 days of their baby’s life,” Gina Stilp, the Zilber Foundation’s executive director, told the Journal Sentinel.

Women chosen for the program had to 18 years or older, up to 23 weeks pregnant, have an annual household income of less than $39,000. The average income for the participating mothers is half that, or $15,695 per year.

The mothers also must live in the 53204, 53205 or 53206 zip codes, with priority given to those who live in the Lindsay Heights, Clarke Square and Layton Boulevard West neighborhoods, where 44% of children are living in poverty, according to the Zilber Foundation.

Stilp said the Zilber Family Foundation’s hope is that The Bridge Project’s impact will attract and sustain funding for this and future cohorts.

“We are putting the baby on the right foot from Day One,” Stilp said. “We are investing in our most vulnerable residents and making sure they have proper nutrition, housing and health care, which can lead to better outcomes down the road.”

Gina Stilp is the executive director of the Zilber Foundation.Gina Stilp is the executive director of the Zilber Foundation.

Gina Stilp is the executive director of the Zilber Foundation.

Keeping one mom financially afloat until she returns to work

Sarah Powless’ baby girl is due Nov. 18.

She found out about The Bridge Project program through her therapist. Powless and her child’s father were splitting up. Adding financial stress to the emotionally stressful situation, Powless’ doctor told her her job as an unloader for UPS was too physical for her.

When she was four weeks pregnant, her doctor told her she needed to stop working, basing the decision on the fact she had a miscarriage the previous year.

“The first part of pregnancy was so stressful,” Powless said.  “Now I know I will be able to support her.”

Like all the program’s 100 mothers, Powless received the first $1,125 stipend in August. She used it to pay her rent, which is $1,045 per month, leaving her with $80.

She has since been approved for Section 8 housing.

The first payment is the largest. Mothers receive the one-time, $1,125 prenatal stipend, followed by 15 monthly payments of $750 and nine monthly payments of $375.

Dimitrijevic’s effort to allocate funding from the city will provide mothers with an additional 12 months of $375 stipends.

Powless said she is now using the $750 monthly stipend to pay her utility bills. She bought a crib, stroller and car seat.

“It has really been helpful to keep me afloat until I can go back to work,” Powless said. She plans to return to work six weeks after her daughter is born.

She wants to return to UPS and is hoping a position is available when she is ready to return to work. She said she likes having a routine and earning her own money.

Powless said her 5-year-old daughter, Nova, is constantly rubbing her belly and asking when her little sister is coming and is constantly asking if she will be a good big sister.

“Yes,” Powless tells her. “You love helping.”

She plans to name her daughter Echo Dream.

“Biggest blessing … time with my newborn”

Like Powless, Yeanna Botello, 24, received her first stipend in August.

Two months later, on Oct. 6, her second son was born. She named him Thomas Jr.

Botello, 24, found out about the program through a Facebook post her friend sent to her when she was around 12 weeks pregnant.

“I set an alarm. I had everything ready to go when the enrollment period opened,” Botello said. “When I heard I was accepted, I was extremely grateful.”

With the stipends, she was able to stop working a few weeks before her son was born.

The international recommended minimum standard for maternity leave is 14 weeks. In the United States, the Family and Medical Leave Act provides only 12 weeks of unpaid leave, making the country one of eight in the world that does not guarantee paid maternity leave.

During her first pregnancy five years ago, she was still on the schedule the day she gave birth.

“It was a lot different this time around,” Botello said.

She was planning to go back to work within six weeks of her son’s birth. A caterer with Smokin’ Jack’s BBQ, she now thinks she may stay home with her children for eight weeks.

“Finances are still going to be an issue, no matter what, when you are having a baby. But when you are given an extra $750 a month that is a huge, huge blessing,” she said. “The biggest blessing has been having this time with my newborn. This time around, I get to take everything in. It is a lot less stressful.”

Jessica Van Egeren is a general assignment reporter with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at jvanegeren@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Monthly payments change lives of two pregnant women in Milwaukee

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