Applications have opened for the Chicago Resilient Communities Pilot, Chicago’s $31.5 million guaranteed basic income program funded through the American Rescue Plan. The program will provide $500 monthly checks to 5,000 Chicagoans selected through a lottery for a full year. People are eligible to apply if they live in Chicago, are at least 18 years old, can prove they “have experienced economic hardship related to COVID-19" and earn less than 250 percent of the federal poverty rate — $32,200 for an individual or $54,900 for a family of three. Applications can be submitted online and close at 11:59 p.m. on May 13.