This County in America Will Give Residents $500 a Month

Residents of Cook County, Illinois — the nation’s second-most populous county — could soon see a new round of direct cash support.

The Cook County Board of Commissioners has voted to continue its guaranteed income initiative, which previously provided $500 monthly payments to eligible residents from 2022 through 2024, according to FOX 32 Chicago, Business Insider and Newsweek. The board has earmarked $7.5 million for the program in its fiscal year 2026 budget, drawing from the county’s “equity fund,” the outlets report. A spokesperson also told FOX 32 that remaining federal pandemic relief funds could be used to sustain the program in future years.

“With working families struggling to afford their daily lives, Cook County is taking bold action to put money directly back in their pockets,” Sarah Saheb, director of the Economic Security Project, told FOX 32 in a statement.

Saheb called the county’s earlier guaranteed income effort “a historic success, helping families afford the groceries, childcare and transportation they need to thrive.” She said backers are “thrilled to see President Preckwinkle make this program permanent” and are eager to work on expanding it so “even more families can benefit.”

County officials still need to finalize how the renewed program will work, including who will qualify for future payments. The county’s Bureau of Economic Development told FOX 32 that leaders are in the early stages of designing the next phase and expect that process to wrap up sometime in mid-to-late 2026.

The new commitment follows a pilot program that ran from December 2022 to December 2024, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). During that period, 3,250 low- to moderate-income families in Cook County received an “unconditional $500 monthly” payment.

Findings released in April 2025 showed strong support for the initiative, with participants reporting “significant positive impacts.” According to the county, 75% of families said they felt more financially secure after receiving the payments, and 56% reported reduced stress. Additionally, 94% of participating households experienced a financial emergency or unexpected expense and said they used program funds to handle it.

Commissioners told Fox News that these results were central to their decision to extend the program. Survey responses indicated that families primarily used the extra cash for basic needs such as food, rent, utilities and transportation.

On the national level, President Donald Trump has floated his own version of direct payments: $2,000 checks for Americans, funded by tariffs, according to CBS News.

“A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high-income people!) will be paid to everyone,” Trump, 79, wrote in a Truth Social post earlier this month. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later told Fox News that the idea is still being developed, but that the payments would likely go to families earning “less than, say, $100,000.”

Trump has said the rebates will not arrive before Christmas, but that people could expect them sometime next year, per ABC15 Arizona.