ST. LOUIS — Families throughout St. Louis have struggled to keep up with the recent rising costs of living, food and other essentials. A new city program is hoping to ease that burden.
St. Louis' Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) Program has officially opened up applications for families in need to get $500 a month for 18 months. The program is funded with $5 million that the city set aside in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Eligible families include:
- Parents or legal guardians of a child under 18 who is enrolled in a St. Louis Public Schools District school or St. Louis City charter school
- Those who live within St. Louis city limits
- Those who experienced a negative financial impact due to COVID-19
- Those who have a total household income less than 170% of the federal poverty level. For example, an eligible family of four would make under $51,000 a year.
“I think the program is awesome,” said Ann Smith, a single mother of three in St. Louis. “I would love to apply for it because I’m new to the St. Louis area and I need all the support that I can get."
“I definitely want to apply,” said Therica Dowden, another St. Louis mother of three. “With the rise of everything going up, with bills, it’s just hard to pay for food and other things. This monthly payment will help a lot of people."
“This will help put me on a great journey,” Ann Smith added.
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