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CHICAGO’S
TEST TO HAND $500 A MONTH TO LOW-INCOME FAMILIES STALLS
Illinois Policy Institute/
Patrick Andriesen
Quick relief was promised for select needy
families in Chicago, but it now looks like it will be summer before any
of the $500-a-month checks are issued. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the
delay is to prevent abuse.
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 Months after launching one of the largest guaranteed income pilot programs in
the nation, Chicago residents have yet to see a single dollar of the $31.5
million promised by city leaders.
The earliest qualifying residents could see a check in the mail is summer 2022,
sources in Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration told WTTW. The city is in the
process of requesting bids from outside organizations to run the pilot program
to give 5,000 families $500 a month for a year.
In a departure from her previously urgent rhetoric, Lightfoot is asking patience
from Chicago’s lowest-income residents as city administrators weigh how to
implement the novel policy and finalize the eligibility criteria.
“We have been working with members of city council listening to advocates to
make sure that we craft a criteria that is going to reach those people that are
most in need,” Lightfoot said when pressed about the program’s sluggish rollout.
She asked Chicagoans to “stay tuned” for more information.
Chicago’s first guaranteed income pilot was passed in October and will use funds
from the American Rescue Plan. Officials in the Lightfoot administration said
they are purposefully taking their time to root out potential fraud or abuse,
saying they want to create a program that can continue for years after the pilot
period ends.
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Lightfoot touted the
policy as safeguarding thousands of struggling Chicago families from
financial ruin in the wake of COVID-19.
“Right now, in this moment, with so many people suffering, in pain
and worried about financial ruin, this is what we must do to make
sure that these families don’t slip into the abyss,” Lightfoot said
as she urged council members to pass the policy Oct. 27.
Northwest side Ald.
Gilbert Villegas, 36th Ward, championed a similar basic income
proposal earlier in 2021. He said he wants households considered for
the program to report income at or below 300% of federal poverty
guidelines, with priority for Chicago Public Schools families.
While Villegas has voiced general support for Lightfoot’s policy, he
has expressed frustration with the program’s sluggish
implementation. He said delays leave residents struggling.
“I’m happy that they’re trying to get a request for proposal and get
this thing going but it has to be expedited or we’re going to
continue seeing people suffering,” Villegas told WTTW.
Quick relief will be available in about six months. Lightfoot and
city leaders are being careful because nothing is more permanent
than a temporary government program. |
