ST. LOUIS (KMOX)–The City of St. Louis is nearly ready to receive applications for the Guaranteed Basic Income program. Mayor Tishaura Jones signed the "Working Families Bill" in December 2022, which included $5 million of ARPA funds to be dolled out to families in need of financial aide.
"The aim is to address families who are too rich for benefits but yet too poor to do anything else," said Mayor Jones. "We want to make sure that they have a little extra money in their pocket to get to that next level."
Mayor Jones said Tuesday an additional million dollars was added to the Guaranteed Basic Income pool of money following a donation from former Twitter owner Jack Dorsey. Starting this December, 540 families will receive support rather than just 440. Families chosen for the program will receive $500 a month for 18 months.
The qualifications include being a parent with a kid in a St. Louis public or charter school. Parents must have been effected negatively during the pandemic. They must be at or below 170% of the federal poverty level–based on family size and household income.
Interested parents can sign up starting October 23rd. Forward is the organization charged with vetting applicants.
"An equitable selection will be invited to proceed through a second round of the application process," said Kelsey Martin, Forward's Director of Client Services. "Documents are going to be submitted through and reviewed by our team. If any additional information is needed the applicant will be notified by our team."
The city's website explaining the Guaranteed Basic Income program is now live.
