(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Mayor Johnson's office has announced a new $5 million fund to give cash payments to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking.
The mayor's office says this fund is to give $1,000 in cash to more than 5,000 people who are survivors of what City Hall calls gender-based violence.
The first phase of the application period runs through the end of this month, and applicants don't have to prove they are survivors of violence or human trafficking.
"In its commitment to trauma-informed practices, survivors will not be asked for evidence of survivorship, but will be asked to self-attest, or instead provide a connection to an advocate or service provider," a news release issued by the mayor's office said.
Applicants must be at or below 300 percent of the poverty level.
In a pilot program, 1,000 applications were accepted. And Mayor Johnson's office says the first payments were made to 733 people in early May.
In that group, about 35 percent identified as Latino and 47 percent as Black.
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