The deadline for residents of the city of Evanston, Illinois, to apply for a $500-a-month basic income pilot program is Monday.
The pilot program is set to begin shortly after the Aug. 29 application deadline, and the payments will last for a full year under the program. 150 participants will be selected through a random lottery system of people who applied for the program.
SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS: FIRST HALF OF $1,682 THIS MONTH TO BE SENT IN JUST FOUR DAYS
Individuals who are eligible to apply include residents of Evanston who are 18-24 years old, over 62 years old, or an “undocumented community member.” In order to qualify, applicants must also live in a household that makes below or at 250% of the poverty line. For a one-person household, 250% of the poverty line is $33,975, and for a two-person household, 250% of the poverty line is $45,775, according to city officials.
“This guaranteed income program will do so much more than offer $500 per month to 150 residents: it will reimagine, humanize, and strengthen the social safety net; it will also reshape the relationship between people and their government,” said Harish Patel, director of the group Economic Security for Illinois. “In our work to advocate for direct cash payments, we have found the City of Evanston eager to move toward progressive policy solutions that meet families’ material needs without over-burdening them.”
The pilot program is receiving funding from various sources, including some leftover federal funds, and $700,000 of funds are from the 2021 American Rescue Plan, and Northwestern University, a partner of the program, contributed $300,000 in “seed funding” to the program last year.
Northwestern University says it will study the findings from the pilot program and assess the effect it has on participants, in conjunction with city officials.
“Northwestern is committed to fostering innovative solutions to our City’s most pressing challenges, namely inequality and economic insecurity. Guaranteed income programs treat recipients with dignity in determining how best to spend the money,” said Dave Davis, executive director for neighborhood and community relations at Northwestern University.
The pilot program for basic income in the Illinois city is the latest in a series of attempts to determine the effectiveness of forms of basic income, with various programs using leftover pandemic relief funds. Cities including Annapolis, Maryland, and Ithaca, New York, have explored or tried basic income programs.
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Applications for the program can be found on this website.
