GARY— "Gas money, medication and groceries."
Augustine Lewis listed the things he was able to buy using the monthly $500 he received as a participant in Gary's Guaranteed Income Validation Effort pilot program.
After working as a steelworker for 26 years Lewis, 67, has been largely retired for the past two decades — aside from the occasional odd job.
However, the health insurance Lewis received as an Air Force veteran, did not cover some of the medications he needed to treat his diabetes. When he heard about the G.I.V.E. program online, he applied.
"I was able to do a lot of things that I normally wouldn't be able to with my fixed income," Lewis said during a G.I.V.E. year-in-review event Thursday morning.
People are also reading…
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Mayor Jerome Prince speaks with G.I.V.E. participants Augustine Lewis, left, and Dianne Appiah during the Thursday morning event.
One of the things Lewis did was visit his 28-year-old son who has lived in a group home in Flora, Indiana since 2017. Before receiving the G.I.V.E. funds, Lewis said it had been "quite a while" since he'd seen his son.
"I was able to take him some care packages, with some of the hot chips that he loves and some Little Debbie cakes. Things that remind him of home," Lewis said.
First championed by former Stockton, California Mayor Michael Tubbs, guaranteed income programs have taken off across the country including in Chicago and Milwaukee. Currently, Gary is the only community in Indiana with a guaranteed income program.
When Burgess Peoples learned about the concept, she presented it to Mayor Jerome Prince. Aided by $500,000 of seed money from the Mayors for Guaranteed Income organization, Gary launched a pilot G.I.V.E. program last May.
A survey was sent to 4,000 residents, and from the responses 125 people were chosen to participate, receiving $500 a month for 12 months.
G.I.V.E. ran out of funding in November 2021, but in March, the Gary City Council approved an ordinance allocating $400,000 of American Rescue Act funds to cover the remaining six months.
Peoples, the executive director of G.I.V.E., said the program offers participants "a helping hand," allowing them to realize their own potential.
Everyday, people "have to decide between paying their rent or fixing their car so they can go to work," Prince. said. G.I.V.E. made that decision easier, about 40% of the 125 participants returned to work during the program.
Though participants stopped receiving funding in July, Peoples said the program is far from over.
Along with $500 a month, participants received financial literacy classes courtesy of Centier Bank and met with admissions counselors from Indiana University Northwest to learn about higher education options.
About a quarter of the G.I.VE. participants opened a bank account for the first time and two-thirds attended financial literacy classes.
"For many first-generation students, getting into college is still a mystery," Indiana University Northwest Chancellor Ken Iwama said, explaining that a college degree often helps with socioeconomic mobility.
Lewis started taking classes at IUN this spring. While he hasn't picked a major quite yet, he hopes to get his master's and is leaning towards political science.
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Burgess Peoples accepts a gift from the G.I.V.E Board. For 12 months, the G.I.V.E. program gave 125 participants $500 a month.
On Thursday, Peoples announced the G.I.V.E. Wealth Series, which will feature more financial literacy classes both online and in-person. The 125 participants will continue to receive support through the wealth series, regular check-ins and employment resources. Peoples said she is currently fundraising to maintain an aid fund, in case participants need emergency money.
In November, the G.I.V.E. board will decide if it wants to go after more funding to expand the program beyond the pilot.
"As mayor I understand that I cannot end poverty ... what we can do, is what the G.I.V.E. program did, and that's make poverty escapable," Prince said.
PHOTOS: 105-year-old woman cultivates love reading in book club
105-year-old woman cultivates love reading in book club
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A recent birthday card for Felicia Childress from a friend had to be modified.
105-year-old woman cultivates love reading in book club
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At 105, Felicia Childress is still an active member of a Gary book club. Her favorite book is "The Brightest Star" by Fern Michaels because it contains a character named Felicia.
105-year-old woman cultivates love reading in book club
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At 105, Felicia Childress is still an active member of a Gary book club.
105-year-old woman cultivates love reading in book club
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Felicia Childress' favorite book is The Brightest Star by Fern Michaels because it contains a character named Felicia.
105-year-old woman cultivates love reading in book club
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Felicia Childress shares a laugh as she recounts events from her life. At 105, she is still an active member of a Gary book club.
Book Lovers book club
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Felicia Childress reads her review of the book "The Blue Castle" during a meeting of the The Booklovers' Club at Bass Pro Shop in Portage in 2018.
Book Lovers book club
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Felicia Childress, who was 101 years old then, discusses the book "The Blue Castle" by L.M. Montgomery with other members of The Booklovers' Club at the Bass ProShop in Portage in 2018.