D.C. has multiple income support programs. This new pilot aims to reunite families and dismantle misconceptions about poverty.

THRIVE East of the River provided more than $4 million to low-income residents, no strings attached.

Proponents say the new program could help close the glaring racial wealth gap in D.C.

The city in Northern Virginia plans to send cash to low-income households as part of an experiment funded by the American Rescue Plan.

D.C. lawmakers have given initially approval to boosting the local match to the federal earned income tax credit for low- and moderate-income residents.

The bill would create a 19-person commission tasked with studying issues related to poverty, evaluating poverty reduction initiatives, and making policy recommendations.

“There should be a better response to people who have to ask for help and have to plead for food,” one elderly Washingtonian says.

Meanwhile, the median household income in D.C. was $67,572 in 2013.

As the city gets more expensive, poverty is pushed to the suburbs.

Black and Hispanic residents in the greater D.C. area endure higher poverty rates than white and Asian residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.