Coronavirus Stimulus Money: 20K Santa Ana Renters to Get $300 Pre-paid Debit Cards

Published on

Some Americans could get some extra money just in time for the holidays. About 20,000 low-income families in Santa Ana, California could get $300 coronavirus stimulus money in the form of pre-paid debit cards.

Get The Full Henry Singleton Series in PDF

Get the entire 4-part series on Henry Singleton in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues

Q3 2021 hedge fund letters, conferences and more

Coronavirus Stimulus Money In The Form Of Pre-paid Debit Cards

Santa Ana plans to distribute about $6 million in stimulus money to families who need it the most. This program is part of the bigger $160 million Revive Santa Ana Resident Stimulus Program. The authorities approved the program on November 16, as well as raising the total amount to be distributed, and increasing the number of households that would qualify.

Santa Ana will use the funds it got from the American Rescue Act to distribute the stimulus aid. Instead of checks, the families eligible for the stimulus aid would get a prepaid Visa debit card.

“The Resident Stimulus Program will help families recover from the economic effects of the pandemic while also putting money back into our local economy,” Mayor Vicente Sarmiento said.

Santa Ana authorities were scheduled to hand-deliver these prepaid debit cards from December 4. In case the person delivering the card is unable to contact the head of household at the registered address, then they would be contacted for delivery at a later date.

These prepaid Visa debit cards would be usable anywhere in the country where Visa cards are accepted. However, the recipients are being urged to use the debit cards locally.

“Hopefully that money circulates as people use those and they are being used here in town,” Sarmiento said. “It will be like a double injection of stimulus to households, but also those businesses that are going to see those cards being redeemed.”

Who Gets The Payment?

Reports are that residents in rental units with a poverty rate of more than the median of 42% will qualify for the coronavirus stimulus money. The authorities used a data-driven analysis to determine the areas that are in need of the most support.

Along with giving money in the form of prepaid debit cards, the city council also approved the use of federal stimulus money for giving more rental assistance, grants for businesses and nonprofits, adding recreational amenities and parks, upgrading some community centers and creating new programs for young children. The city needs to spend all the federal money it got by the end of 2026.

Separately, some California residents would also get stimulus checks under the second Golden State Stimulus program. The authorities have already sent the payment through direct deposit, and are now sending the paper checks for whom they don’t have the bank account details.

Authorities are using zip codes to schedule the payment. Presently, the payment is going out to those whose last three digits of the zip code range from 585-719.