Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to Reinstate Guaranteed Income Program Using Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds

The program, aimed at aiding low-income families with monthly payments, is part of a broader strategy to utilize remaining pandemic relief funds before the 2024 deadline.

• Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration will restart a guaranteed income program that provides $500 monthly to low-income Chicago residents.
• The initiative uses leftover funds from the $1.9 billion received under the American Rescue Plan Act during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Chicago aims to fully allocate and spend these funds by 2024 and 2026 respectively, to avoid returning them to the federal government.
• The program was highly popular in its pilot phase, with over 176,000 applications for just 5,000 available spots.
• Funding adjustments include reallocating $80 million from higher-risk to low-risk programs to ensure timely use of the funds.

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