Guaranteed income supporters celebrated a historic win last November when Cook County approved the first permanent county-level guaranteed income program in the nation. The Union for a Guaranteed Income (U4GI) held a public meeting Saturday at Chicago Hope Academy to move from securing the funding to helping shape the program itself.
“This event is about educating folks on what guaranteed income is, but also bringing them into the fight as we continue to try and win guaranteed income programs throughout the state of Illinois,” said Byron Hobbs, director of organizing for the economic freedom team at Community Change.
In its 2026 budget, Cook County set aside $7.5 million to extend the guaranteed income program beyond the pilot, making it one of the first local governments in the country to commit to ongoing funding. Officials are crafting updated rules around applications, eligibility and program design, with a final plan expected this year.
Cook County’s Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot, which launched using $42 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding, gave 3,250 low- to moderate-income families $500 a month in no-strings-attached cash — meaning no work requirements or spending restrictions — for two years. More than 200,000 people put their names in when it launched. Payments began in December 2022 and continued through January 2025.
A survey released by Cook County in April 2025 found 75% of participants felt more financially secure with the monthly cash payments, 94% were able to use the money to manage financial emergencies or unexpected expenses and 73% believed the payments would continue to impact them after the program ended. The top reported uses of the funds were food, rent, utilities and transportation.
During Saturday’s meeting, organizers from Community Change, the Workers Center for Racial Justice and Equity and Transformation (e.a.t) shared these statistics and recipient stories to encourage eligible residents to engage with U4GI and provide input on how they would like the program to be structured.
Hobbs began the meeting by asking the audience if they had ever worried about paying their bills or struggled to make ends meet. With around 60 people in attendance, including residents from across Chicago, Cook County and some from neighboring states, almost everyone raised their hand.
Santresa Harris, 45, a recipient of the city pilot program, lost her job during the pandemic and struggled to find work. As a mother of four, she often prioritized her children’s well-being over her own, skipping meals and cutting daily necessities.
“I was struggling,” Harris said. “The extra income, it helped a lot. It was like a supportive safety net.”
She put the monthly payments toward food, hygiene products, transportation for herself and her children, everyday essentials and bills. Harris participated in the program for about a year. By the end, she had secured a new job as a house advocate for a domestic violence service provider.
“The program absolutely helped me secure the job,” Harris said. “It helped me with transportation, it helped me get clothing to be presentable, to keep the position.”
While regulations for the permanent program, including eligibility and payment amounts, have not been finalized, organizers hope the first round of payments will begin by late summer or early fall of 2026.
With the $7.5 million budget approved by the county, Hobbs estimated the program could support roughly 1,000 to 1,200 people if payments remain around $500 per month.
But he said this is only the first step.
“Our long-term vision, our North Star, is to win a statewide permanent guaranteed income program for 100,000 eligible Illinoisans,” Hobbs said.
Federal changes under President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” include alterations to Medicaid and SNAP eligibility that could lead to significant losses in coverage and benefits for hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents.
“This economy has not worked for poor and low-income folks in the city of Chicago, across Illinois and across this country,” Hobbs said. “We see guaranteed income as a program to help lift folks up who are struggling, but also it’s no strings attached cash allows people to invest in themselves.”
While he emphasized that paying for necessities like bills and childcare is critical, allowing people to work toward their hopes and passions is another important factor.
To expand the program and build support, organizers encouraged attendees to spread the word and get involved.
“Guaranteed income is not something new; this is something that has been advocated for years, for decades, but it’s still something that the general public is not aware of as a potential solution for a lot of very common problems,” said Taylar Tramil, political director with the Workers Center for Racial Justice. “I think the core goal of this is to make sure that we raise awareness.”
Krystal Peters, a child care organizer with the WCRJ, a member of the Union for a Guaranteed Income and a former participant, shared her story with the crowd. Before receiving the payments, Peters said she had recently come out of homelessness and was juggling financial pressures while caring for both her daughter and her mother.
“I had the financial pressures that all of you are thinking about,” Peters said. “It was so much, it was a lot on my plate.”
Since the program selected participants through a lottery, she knew her chances were slim, but she made lists of how she would spend the money regardless.
When she was chosen, Peters said it changed her life.
“We all aspire to do and be and do better,” Peters said. “And so what that monthly money allowed me to do was to invest in myself and begin to become that person, that woman that I see in myself, that organizer that I see myself being.”
She has since dedicated herself to helping others facing the same challenges she once experienced and fighting for policies that benefit low-income families.
“We all want to say, ‘oh, I’m not political,'” Peters said. “But if you’re waking up, you’re paying tickets, you’re paying bills, you’re doing all these things, you are into politics. So why not take charge and be a part of those tables that directly impact you?”
While critics of the program argue that recipients are benefiting from taxpayer dollars without having to work, Tramil pushes back. “This does not replace a job,” Tramil said. “For many people, that $500 helped them pay rent, cover childcare, get to work. It actually enabled people to find and keep jobs, not replace them.”
As U4GI continues to advocate for self-determination and expand its outreach to community members, Tramil emphasized the power of collective action.
“Things happen when it’s a community effort,” Tramil said. “The more people we empower, the stronger the impact.”
Chicago Tribune’s A.D. Quig contributed.
