A basic income helps persons in poverty – even small amounts can make big differences for transportation, food, and gas

Toni Preckwinkle is hoping to start a national conversation about guaranteed income with Cook County Ill.'s pilot program, which is giving 3,250 families $500 a month for two years. A little boost, just $500 a month, could help a transit-dependent resident in suburban Cook County, Ill. finally buy a car and expand her horizons for a new job, a better job, away from the bus or train lines. An extra $500 in mid-December could mean new winter coats and shoes that actually fit growing children. Or a cushion for the budget in a volatile environment when food and gas prices fluctuate. Or just fewer hard choices for people who don’t have many options. Those are some of the outcomes the Cook County Promise hopes for more than 3,200 families over the next two years, all of whom will receive $500 a month. When the county opened a lottery for the program for roughly two weeks last fall, more than 233,000 people applied. “There’s clearly a great need,” said County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. “I’m confident that we’re going to have some interesting findings at the end of our two years and we’ll continue on with this initiative.” All told, the county is putting $42 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding into the two-year pilot project and is committing to continue with county funding after that.