A $42 million guaranteed income pilot program was announced in Cook County to help those who are income eligible.
Toni Preckwinkle, President of Cook County Board of Commissioners, announced Cook County's new guaranteed income pilot program, which will be sending monthly payments to the residents.
"Proud to announce our $42 million guaranteed income pilot program today. It's the largest investment in the country and Cook County is the first to commit to a permanent long-term program. The #CookCountyPromise #GuaranteedIncome Pilot has the potential to transform communities and even reduce violence. It's why @cookcountygov is committed to making the program permanent – so families can move on from relief and into long-term resiliency. The United States has a long history of equating economic success or failure with an individual's hard work and talents alone, without any regard to the larger structural forces at play. Yet, we cannot solve the growing problems of entrenched poverty and income inequality if we refuse to acknowledge the other significant, systemic factors - such as a family lineage, structural racism and a lifetime of unequal access to financial resources," tweeted Preckwinkle.
Cook County has announced a new guaranteed income pilot program, which will distribute $500 per month to 3,250 residents for two years, ABC reported. This will also be the largest taxpayer-funded guaranteed income initiative in the country. The County has promised to make it permanent. Applications will open to Cook County residents in the fall, but there is an eligibility criterion. It is for residents at or below 250% of the federal poverty rate.
"Historically, both public and private institutions have been unwilling to directly invest in low-income people without significant restrictions attached. This red tape is in place not because any evidence shows that it is necessary, but rather because our society does not trust that people living in poverty have the character or ability to make good decisions for themselves," Preckwinkle said, reported ABC Chicago. "Cook County is reframing the way we think about government assistance and is proud to be leading the way in the American guaranteed income movement."
Positive aspects of a guaranteed income program are that recipients could return to school or stay home to care for a relative, according to The Balance. However, there are downsides, too: it can increase the rates of inflation, and in the long run, they do not help in any way to increase the standard of living.
A 2019 Gallup poll found that the majority of Americans do not support guaranteed income programs. 60% of men and 54% of women who responded to the survey indicated that they oppose guaranteed income. Among the Canadians and British people, these programs were more popular, with around three-quarters of respondents from Canada and the U.K. signaling their support of guaranteed income.
Alerts Sign-up