Bills, Bills, Bills
With a median income at $14,000 a year, the 5,000 households selected for the CRCP do not earn enough to pay the median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment. Just as before the pandemic, many households need support simply to make ends meet.
In response to the survey prompt, “What do you hope the monthly cash assistance will allow you to do over the next 12 months?”, a random and representative sample of participants talked about paying for normal life expenses (61%), followed by pursuing financial goals (42%). Monthly bills (41%) and rent (18%) were at the top of participants minds. In participant interviews, researchers heard the theme of “investment”:
“Where does this infusion of money go? By and large, it goes to support living. It goes to support investment in themselves and their families in ways that are very common with what middle- and upper- class people are doing with their money. It’s monthly bills and providing for your family and getting housing stability – that rises to the top.” – Dr. Shantá Robinson
With an extra $500/month to pay for monthly and past-due bills, participants are hoping to achieve a new economic baseline. Within just the first few months of the pilot, residents like Gail are finding just how transformative cash relief can be (read more of Gail’s story here).
“That first check, it put me right there where I needed to be. I work hard and earn a living, but it’s usually hard to cover all of my bills and be able to relax at the end of the month. But now I’m able to get past that pressure.” – Gail, CRCP participant
Support for the Supporters
With 63% of all CRCP participants identifying as having caregiving responsibilities, recovery for one individual also means recovery for others. In survey data, “providing for my family” was a common theme expressed by 14% of respondents.
For Zinida, a mother of three who works two jobs to support her family, added peace of mind allows her family to grow stronger together.
“It’s a lot to have that hanging over your head when you’re trying to raise a family. This puts me so much farther ahead already.” – Zinida, CRCP participant
Feeling responsible and under pressure come hand in hand, and researchers observed that caregivers were expressing high levels of stress and anxiety. Our hope is that the monthly cash assistance provides these caregivers with some relief and provides spillover benefits for their families.
Becoming Independent
A final theme we heard from participants is a desire to become independent. Dr. Robinson explained that able to provide for myself and for others was core to participants’ long-term goals.
“It’s a misnomer that people enjoy being on public assistance. None of the folks we talked to, including those on other benefits, wanted to be on those benefits. They want to be independent, to be a provider, to be someone that others can depend on. Even participants who don’t have dependents – they don’t talk about themselves as an island; they want to do good and be good, not just for themselves but for their community.” – Dr. Shantá Robinson
The path to recovery varies from household to household, but what we know is that cash assistance is making that climb easier for the recipients of the CRCP. In future instalments, we’ll hear more from our recipients and discuss what those impacts have meant Chicago.
