The program offers $1,500 mid-pregnancy and then $500 for the first six months of a baby's life for eligible families.

Finances already looked tight for Jade Grant and her three children as she entered the year’s final months. “Everyone’s birthday is back-to-back,” the 32-year-old certified nursing assistant said.

The original program, which ran from 2011 to 2016, offered cash incentives to new downtown residents who worked for specific local employers. Downtown's residential vacancy rate has improved to 17% ...