Guaranteed income payments a financial lifeline for Chicagoans: ‘I didn’t have anything’

Felix, 71, who receives $500 a month from the Chicago Resilient Communities pilot and uses some of the money to pay for groceries, stands next to his wife, whom he helps care for in their Pilsen home. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

When Gail Goodwin started receiving $500 a month through a guaranteed income program, for the first time in a while, she was able to give her grandchildren money. 

“Like the old me,” Goodwin said. “When I had a good-paying job.”