Program to provide cash for pregnant women in Flint, Michigan, and families with newborns

A program aimed at helping remove families and infants in Flint, Michigan, from deep poverty will give $1,500 to women during mid-pregnancy and $500 each month throughout the first year after the birth. Enrollment opened Wednesday for Rx Kids, lauded by officials as the first of its kind in the United States. The program has no restrictions on income. The $1,500 can be used on food, prenatal care, rent, cribs or other needs. The $500 monthly stipend can be spent on formula, diapers or childcare. Rx Kids is supported by foundations, funds and the state of Michigan. More than $43 million of the program’s estimated $55 million cost over five years has been raised.