The deadline for residents of the city of Evanston, Illinois, to apply for a $500-a-month basic income pilot program is in five days.
The program is slated to begin shortly after the Aug. 29 application deadline, and the payments will last a year under the pilot program. One hundred and fifty participants will be selected through a lottery system of applicants.
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“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.”
Eligible applicants include residents of Evanston who are 18-24 years old, over 62 years old, or an “undocumented community member.” 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.
The pilot program is receiving funding from various sources. $700,000 of funds from the 2021 American Rescue Plan are being used, and Northwestern University, which is a partner of the program, contributed $300,000 in “seed funding” for the program last year.
Northwestern University will study the findings from the pilot program and assess its effect on people in the program, according to the city.
“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 Evanston is the latest in a series of attempts to determine the effectiveness of guaranteed 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.
