The City of St. Louis is launching the Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Program, which will give $500 a month to qualifying low-income families for 18 months. To be eligible, applicants must live within St. Louis city limits, have at least one dependent under the age of 18, meet income requirements, and have been financially affected by COVID-19. The application period is October 23-November 1, 2023. Applications are available at bit.ly/IncomeProgramSTL.

The Guaranteed Basic Income Program (GBI) is meant to provide ongoing support to families in need to reduce financial stress. There is no fee to apply.

Qualified people can register at the Pilot Program Website to be notified when the application opens October 23rd . Only one member of each household can apply.

The program hopes to help people reach long-term financial stability by providing money to recipients to spend how they choose. Similar programs in other cities have found improvements in recipients’ financial stability as well as their physical and mental health.

This pilot program will last 18 months and serve 540 recipients. After the program, St. Louis City will decide if it will start this program permanently.

To qualify, applicants must prove that they live within St. Louis City limits, be the legal guardian of a child enrolled in the St. Louis Public School district and have a household income less than 170% of the federal poverty line. All qualification and specific income limits can be found here.

After applying, all eligible applicants will be entered into a lottery system. If chosen, the applicant will be contacted to provide further documentation. After documents are reviewed and eligibility is confirmed, the recipient will be enrolled in the program. Funds will be distributed by a pre-loaded debit card.

This is a pilot program, and at the end of the 18 months, St. Louis City will evaluate the success of the program and determine if the program will continue, expand, or be modified.

It is not clear if the individuals who receive the 18 months of support will be eligible to reapply or stay enrolled if the program is continued.