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The second-largest county in the United States has established a permanent guaranteed basic income program after the success of an earlier pilot version.
The Cook County Board of Commissioners last week unanimously approved $7.5 million for a permanent guaranteed basic income program. Chicago, the largest city in the Midwest and the third largest in the country, is the seat of Cook County.
Cook County made headlines when it established the guaranteed basic income program after many local governments across the country launched pilot versions.
The Cook County Board of Commissioners last week approved $7.5 million for a permanent guaranteed basic income program. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Guaranteed basic income programs have become a trend in the US in recent years with more than 100 pilots launched since 2018. 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. The group has promoted pilot programs that have been adopted by municipalities throughout the country.
Cook County's program launched in 2022 with the help of federal COVID-19 relief funds.
The Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot Program, once the largest publicly funded program in the country and receiving $42 million in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, provided monthly payments of $500 to 3,250 households for two years, with no strings attached.
Illinois Economic Security Director Sarah Saheb described Cook County's Guaranteed Basic Income pilot program as a “historic success” and said that when the federal government was “walking away from its responsibilities to working families, Cook County is leading the way to ensure people can afford basic necessities.”
Commissioners told Fox News Digital that the decision to extend the program to a permanent level was based on the results of a survey of the county's pilot program.
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Guaranteed basic income programs have become a trend in the US in recent years, with more than 100 GBI pilot programs launched since 2018. (iStock)
Findings published by the commission in April showed that three-quarters of participants reported feeling more financially secure and 94% of participants used the funds to address financial emergencies during difficult times. Most also reported that the program improved their mental health and reduced their stress levels.
The commission learned from the survey that participants used the funds primarily for essential needs such as food, rent, utilities and transportation.
Illinois Policy Institute (IPI), a think tank that tracks public policy decisions in the state, told Fox News Digital that “Cook County is making its guaranteed income pilot permanent and committing millions to a failed strategy that has already been shown to leave people with less work experience and lower incomes.”
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“That should alarm anyone who wants real long-term progress for low-income residents. A recent pilot program in northern Illinois, including Cook County, decreased labor force participation and individual income (before transfers),” said Josh Bandoch, IPI's chief policy officer.
Democrats in the Illinois legislature are trying to promote an “Illinois Guaranteed Income Fund” through the Department of Human Services. (iStock)
In response to the IPI, the commission told Fox News Digital that “results and impacts vary depending largely on program design: amount of cash, frequency/duration of payments, eligibility criteria (income-based, location-based, etc.), and local cost of living.”
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“Cook County is partnering closely with the University of Chicago's Inclusive Economy Lab to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the Promise Pilot. We will then design our next program in a thoughtful way that considers short- and long-term outcomes,” the commission said.
