The city of Ithaca’s pilot Guaranteed Income program has extended the application deadline to Tuesday.
Additionally, the program will hold a Zoom informational meeting Monday at 10AM to answer questions and explain the process. The city is partnering with the University of Pennsylvania, the Ithaca Eviction/Displacement Defense Project and Mayors for a Guaranteed Income for a project that will provide cash payments to 110 randomly selected unpaid caregivers and their families.
Read the full release, including the Zoom meeting details below:
After Ithaca Guaranteed Income launched its application period last Friday, we’ve felt the city
abuzz with excitement, feedback and questions. Hundreds of unpaid caregivers have already
submitted applications, and we’ve heard from many of you who are still excitedly sharing this
privately funded research pilot with family and neighbors.
Others still have questions, and as of yesterday, our partners at the University of Pennsylvania
say hundreds of you still have applications that were started but not yet submitted. No worries.
There’s still time, and we’re here to help. Amid our community’s uptick in COVID-19 cases, we
wanted to make sure all of you had a chance to ask your questions and complete your
applications without putting any extra stress on you, your families or the vulnerable people you
so selflessly help. We appreciate that you are so generous with your time, and we wanted to
give you a bit more of it.
Our partners at Mayors For A Guaranteed Income, the Ithaca Eviction/Displacement Defense
Project and the University of Pennsylvania agree and will extend the application window until
Tuesday at 11:59 p.m.
In addition, we are planning an informational meeting via Zoom on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021 at 10
a.m. (details below) to handle last-minute questions and concerns.
Some of you have had questions and concerns about the nature of the researchers’
questionnaire and how personal data will be used in the study. Many of the questions, which
have been fully vetted and in use for decades in separate social science research projects
across the world, are used to understand the emotional state of people who might not feel as
seen, heard or appreciated by their society. Answering those questions might be an upsetting
reminder of that.
The researchers ask about those feelings only because we care and want to understand our
city’s caregivers and challenges they face. At no point will applications be viewable to anyone in
our community, nor will your answers be attributable to you or your family. This is your private
life and information, and it will be kept that way. Penn’s researchers are interested only in how
our city’s caregivers are doing as a whole and how IGI might affect their overall survey
responses.
Ultimately, we and the researchers are confident that the anonymous data will help you, your
families and your neighbors through well-studied and well-designed guaranteed income
programs that do what we need them to do: have measurable and predictable results on our
financial and emotional lives. After all, if these programs don’t help people, what’s the point?
Just as a reminder, IGI will direct privately-funded monthly cash payments to 110 randomly
selected unpaid caregivers and their families in order to strengthen the City of Ithaca and
supplement the existing social safety net. Those not randomly selected for the cash assurance
payments can remain in the research pilot’s control group, even getting paid for their time.
If people have questions about the application process or need technical help, they can call 211
(or 1.877.211.8667) weekdays from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. 2-1-1 also has the ability to text or do
an online chat.
The Zoom information is below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85971690030?pwd=bFQwYkpCOVlOUzNQK0F5bXFaWjN0QT09
Meeting ID: 859 7169 0030
Passcode: 164643
A few FAQs
Who qualifies as an unpaid caregiver?
We are defining a caregiver broadly to mean adults who spend significant unpaid time caring for an
aging or disabled adult or a child. This could be either in or out of their home. It could include people
caring for their parents or even parents caring for their child. It can include partners and stretch
beyond families to include guardians, neighbors, friends, and much, much more. We think if you’re
pitching in and freely offering significant time as a caregiver, you probably know it, and we
encourage you to apply.
Must I live in the City of Ithaca?
Yes. This research program is coordinated with Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, and you must live
in the City of Ithaca at the time of your application. Unfortunately, town residents do not qualify, nor
do longtime city residents who have moved.
What if my circumstances change?
Life happens. Once you are in the program, if you move out of the city or your role as a caregiver
changes, you will not be removed from the program. Similarly, if your income level grows,
congratulations. You are still welcome in IGI.
Are there income requirements?
Yes, the program takes into consideration your 2021 income and the number of people in your
family. Income must be below 80% of the area’s median income (AMI). This sounds complicated, but
simply find your family’s size on the chart below and determine whether your 2021 income falls
below that amount. See chart below.
1 – $50,200 2 –$57,400 3 –$64,550 4- $71,700 5 – $77,450 6 –$83,200 7 –$88,950 8 –$94,650
How will payments work?
These unconditional cash payments, which are privately funded, are made directly to the participants
with no strings attached. The cash can be spent as they see fit. The 110 participants will be picked
randomly from the pool of applicants who meet all eligibility requirements, and they will be scheduled
to begin receiving their payments around January or February.
Could these payments affect my existing benefits?
Yes, potentially. We have a customized benefits calculator, an optional tool created by the Federal
Reserve Bank of Atlanta, to calculate IGI’s potential effect on some existing benefits. Learn more
about the bank and the uses of this tool for visualizing how this pilot program could affect your public
benefits.
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