Illinois guaranteed income advocates push for permanent statewide cash handout program
Guaranteed income advocates in Illinois are pushing to have the state adopt a permanent guaranteed income program, modeled after Cook County’s policy.
"Our long-term vision, our North Star, is to win a statewide permanent guaranteed income program for 100,000 eligible Illinoisans," said Byron Hobbs, director of organizing for the economic freedom team at Community Change, according to the Chicago Tribune.
"This economy has not worked for poor and low-income folks in the city of Chicago, across Illinois and across this country," Hobbs continued.
Hobbs spoke to residents at an event hosted by the Union for a Guaranteed Income (U4GI) on March 7. The purpose of the meeting was to gather feedback about finalizing the rules and regulations around Cook County’s guaranteed income program. The first round of payments will begin by late summer or early fall of this year.
U4GI, an organization that advocates for "direct cash payments," played a pivotal role in securing $7.5 million to launch a permanent guaranteed income program in Cook County starting in 2026.
Cook County, which includes the city of Chicago, established a permanent guaranteed basic income program after a pilot version of the program was launched in 2022 using $42 million from the American Rescue Plan Act. Payments began rolling out in December 2022, providing 3,250 low-to-moderate-income families $500 a month with no strings attached for two years.
Cook County commissioners previously told Fox News Digital they decided to make the program permanent based on findings from a survey.
Community Change, U4GI’s partner organization, posted details on Instagram about the March 7 event a few days before it occurred.
"Now, it’s time to make sure these funds reach the people who need them most — fairly, swiftly, and without unnecessary barriers," Community Change posted.
"We see guaranteed income as a program to help lift folks up who are struggling, but also, its no strings attached cash allows people to invest in themselves," Hobbs said during the meeting.
MAYORS PUSHING FOR GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAMS DECRY THE DISMANTLING OF FEDERAL AID PROGRAMS
Other organizers that attended the meeting on Mar. 7 were affiliated with the Workers Center for Racial Justice and Equity and Transformation.
As advocates and officials discussed the structure of Cook County's permanent guaranteed income program during Saturday's meeting, the groups shared statistics and testimonies from recipients on the benefits of the program.
One recipient, Santresa Harris, 45, shared how the extra income helped her family of four by not being forced to "skip meals" and afford "daily necessities."
Cook County’s permanent guaranteed income program came after a national trend of cities across the country launched pilot programs using federal COVID relief funds. Much of the trend is attributed to Mayors for Guaranteed Income, which was founded by Democrat and former Stockton, California Mayor Michael D. Tubbs.
Tubbs applauded Community Change and U4GI’s effort to establish a permanent statewide guaranteed income program, in a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
"State and local leaders will continue to lead and should be lauded for doing so in the absence of a federal government that cares about the plight of working people in this country," Tubbs told Fox News Digital. "That’s why I started Mayors, Counties, and legislators for a guaranteed income. To lift up all boats in this country," he added.
Mayors for Guaranteed Income grew into a coalition of 150 mayors pushing pilot programs, offering low-income participants up to $1,000 a month with no strings attached. More than 100 pilots have launched since 2018.
The Illinois Policy Institute, a non-partisan think tank that tracks policy decisions in Illinois, pushed back against the idea of a statewide guaranteed income program.
"Illinois needs an economy where families across the state can climb the economic ladder — not checks that encourage families to step off it. Illinois’ economy still trails many Midwestern peers and ranks among the worst in the nation for economic recovery from the recession," said Josh Bandoch, head of policy at the organization.
Bandoch went on to say, "The best way to help low-income Illinoisans is for elected officials to enact reforms that promote growth and give people the skills they need to find work, such as expanding apprenticeships."
Illinois lawmakers, Cook County Board of Commissioners, Gov. J.B. Pritzker's office, Community Change and U4GI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.