Stimulus 2022: Deadline to apply for $500 monthly direct check payments in just seven days

The program, titled the Guaranteed Income Pilot Program, will select 150 applicants from a lottery system and give them a monthly payment of $500 that will be loaded onto a prepaid debit card. Funding for the program is provided by $700,000 from the 2021 American Rescue Plan, in addition to funds from Northwestern University and the city of Evanston, according to a news release from the city.

“These programs provide assistance with no strings attached, giving recipients the ability to spend the funds in the way that makes the most sense for them and their families,” said Mayor Daniel Biss.

The program is meant to study the effects of guaranteed income that people receive and will include a research component, allowing Northwestern University researchers to measure the impacts of the program.

Eligible participants must live in the city of Evanston and live in a household with an income at or below 250% of the federal poverty line. Also, applicants must be either undocumented community members, between 18 and 24 years old, or 62 or older.

In 2021, the poverty guidelines for people living in the United States, aside from Alaska and Hawaii, was $12,880 for a household of one person and $26,500 for a house with four people, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Applicants have until Aug. 29 to apply for this program, with the program starting shortly after the deadline.