Less than 100 miles north of New York City, Ulster County is popular destination for weekenders headed to Woodstock or the Catskill Mountains. Though pretty, there are pockets of poverty. The county is working with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania on a pilot program funded by private donations. One hundred households making less than $46,900 a year in May began receiving a $500 payment each month for a year. Recipients of the money can spend it as they wish, but will be asked to participate in periodic surveys about their physical health, mental health and employment status.