The Department of Family and Support Services has opened a new round of applications for the Chicago Resiliency Fund 2.0, which will provide a one-time, $500 relief payment to up to 7,000 eligible Domestic Workers and 10,000 Undocumented Residents of Chicago ($8.5M in total). The purpose of the fund is to provide relief to low-income Chicagoans who had difficulties accessing prior federal stimulus payments in 2020 and 2021.
For this round, applicants must meet the below eligibility criteria:
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Be 18 years or older, and
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A current Chicago resident, and
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Have a household income less than or equal to 300% of the Federal Poverty Level ($74,580 for a household of 3)
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Be a Domestic Worker who has been paid for household services on average at least 8 hours per week over the last 12 months, OR
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Be an Undocumented resident in Chicago without legal documentation and who lacks a Social Security Number valid for employment
Residents can visit Chicash.org to learn more and apply.
The Chicago Resiliency Fund 2.0 is open to all eligible Chicago residents regardless of status. No questions will be asked in regard to citizenship or immigration status. COVID-19 cash assistance is not considered under public charge. Prioritization will be provided for households who have not received previous COVID-19 cash assistance from the State of Illinois and for undocumented residents living in the US in 2020-2021 when federal stimulus payments were being made.
The Department of Family and Support Services selected Heartland Human Care Services, with AidKit as its technology partner, to administer the fund through a competitive RFP process. Heartland Human Care Services and YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, in association with Vega Partners were selected to lead community outreach to the target populations.
Can You Help Us Spread the Word?
Help us share this opportunity with your communities!
· Join an upcoming CBO info session to learn more details about fund eligibility and how to get the word out! Dates and registration links below:
· Use our public outreach materials to spread the word to your community
You can download and distribute outreach materials by clicking here, or visiting the www.chicash.org CBO Resources section. All materials will be available in English, Spanish, Chinese (traditional and simplified), Polish, and Arabic.
· Host an application assistance event in your community
Vega Partners, in association with YWCA Metropolitan Chicago and Heartland Human Care Services is coordinating outreach activities across the city. Reach out to the outreach team to invite them to table at an upcoming community event or help co-host an application assistance event.
Contact: chicash@vega-partners.com
· Inform and equip your frontline staff
Provide talking points and instructions to direct interested community members to the fund website (www.chicash.org) for information, upcoming events, and instructions for the online application
Direct resident questions to the helpdesk at www.chicash.org or 312-585-5773
Note: we recognize the importance of security and confidentiality for individuals that would be interested in applying for this fund. Application review will be done by Heartland Human Care Services. The City does not decide who is selected to receive a relief payment.
At this time, the initial application for Households that claimed Dependents 17 years or older, is still open for residents to apply and receive the one-time, $500 relief payment. Plenty of spots remain! Households who had adult children or relatives living in the home, such as college students or disabled, are likely candidates. Spouses are typically not considered a claimable dependent by the IRS. The person submitting this application must be the individual who filed the taxes in 2019, not the dependent. Visit www.chicash.org to learn about this application.