Equity And Transformation Is Calling For Permanent Guaranteed Income
Equity And Transformation Is Calling For Permanent Guaranteed Income
By Tia Carol Jones
Equity and Transformation (EAT) would like to see 25% of the Restore Reinvest, Renew (R3) program funds go towards a permanent, statewide guaranteed income program for those who are formerly incarcerated and impacted by the War on Drugs. The organization is raising awareness and support for a statewide permanent guaranteed income program, and in mid-July set out to knock on more than 3,000 doors on the West side of Chicago and Western Suburbs to engage with members of the community.
R3 grants are available to programs in communities in the state that have been impacted by violence, economic disinvestment and excessive incarceration. Leaders at EAT say tax revenue that has already been received through the sale of cannabis after the state of Illinois legalized it, should go to those most heavily impacted.
EAT wanted to engage with people in the community who signed up for the Resilient Communities Guaranteed Income program but weren’t approved. The Resilient Communities Guaranteed Income program was launched by the city of Chicago and it provided $500 a month to eligible residents. Another program, The Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Program, provided $500 a month for eligible residents for two years.
In 2021, EAT launched a pilot program, Chicago Future Fund Guaranteed Income Pilot Program, which provided $500 a month to survivors of the War on Drugs and formerly incarcerated individuals from Austin, West Garfield Park and Englewood. Alonzo Waheed, Program Director at EAT, said the organization chose those communities because of the high rates of poverty, history of disinvestment and police presence. He said through the Chicago Future Fund pilot, EAT was able to change the narrative around the value and worth of formerly incarcerated individuals.
Waheed said EAT was intentional in their focus on formerly incarcerated individuals for the Chicago Future Fund pilot because oftentimes when they go to apply for jobs, they are denied employment because they are formerly incarcerated. He said that participants who received funding through the program were able to save more money and pay down debt. He said the data showed that those who received the funds did not stop looking for employment, it gave them more motivation to look for employment because they had funds for transportation and to get childcare, which can often serve as barriers to looking for a job.
“The stigma is that individuals with backgrounds don’t know what to do with money or don’t know how to live their lives. They’re often dehumanized, and we wanted to change that,” he said.
Waheed said 90% of the participants worked full or part-time at least once a month throughout the program and 92% of the participants who were unemployed actively looked for work. He said he would like to see a statewide permanent guaranteed income program. He said when formerly incarcerated people are lifted through programs like guaranteed income, everyone can be lifted up.
EAT is also collecting signatures for its petition, which seeks to demand a permanent guaranteed income program. The petition is available at https://tinyurl.com/manzbtk2.
Latest Stories
- Urgent Call for Maternal and Mental Health Mobile Clinic Following Tragic Child Deaths in Chicago
- PRESS ROOM: Black Church and Black Press Unite to Empower Black America
- PRESIDENT TONI PRECKWINKLE AND THE FULL COOK COUNTY BOARD TO HONOR RICH TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR CALVIN JORDAN
- City of Harvey Announces Workforce Reductions Amid Ongoing Financial Crisis
- Donna Miller's Congressional Race Attracts Endorsers
Latest Podcast
STARR Community Services International, Inc.
