Affording Survival Cohort 2
Affording Survival Cohort 2 is a guaranteed income pilot for survivors of domestic violence, operated by The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, a Chicago-based nonprofit coalition serving Cook County, Illinois. It provides direct cash payments to survivors already enrolled in a partner agency's transitional housing program, building on Cohort 1 of the same initiative but with a new tapering payment structure and additional partner organizations, including Apna Ghar. Payments are privately/philanthropically funded and administered monthly through payment processor Usio, Inc. The Network's core mission is coordinating services for domestic violence survivors statewide, including operating the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline and a broader Survivor Fund direct-cash-assistance program. Program-specific public documentation for Cohort 2 is limited (the program's online application is password-protected), so several seed details could not be independently corroborated.
Domestic Violence Survivors, Guaranteed Income, Transitional Housing, Tapered Payments, Cohort-Based, Chicago, Cook County, South Asian Community Partner
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence
- City
- Chicago
- State / Province
- Illinois
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Website
- https://the-network.org/
- Phone
- +1 312 527 0730
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 30
- Funding type
- Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 14,250 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 791.67 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 18 months
- Distribution Type
- Check, Digital/Virtual payment card, Direct deposit to bank account, PayPal, Pre-paid debit card, Venmo
- Benefit details
Participants receive tapered monthly payments over 18 months: $1,000/month for the first 12 months, $500/month for months 13-15, then $250/month for months 16-18, totaling approximately $14,250 per participant. Payments are unconditional cash and distributed monthly by Usio, Inc. via the participant's choice of check, direct deposit, prepaid debit card, digital payment card, PayPal, or Venmo. The declining structure is designed to support survivors as they transition toward financial independence while exiting a partner agency's transitional housing program. This is Cohort 2 of the Affording Survival initiative; Cohort 1 (researched separately) reportedly used a different partner-organization lineup and payment structure.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Participants must be survivors of domestic violence currently enrolled in a partner agency's transitional housing program in Cook County (Chicago), Illinois. Apna Ghar, a Chicago-based organization serving South Asian and immigrant survivors of gender-based violence, is listed as a new referral partner added for Cohort 2, alongside continuing partners Working Credit and LIFT, which provide complementary financial coaching and economic mobility support. Enrollment appears to be managed through partner-agency referral rather than open public application. Specific public eligibility criteria beyond DV survivor/transitional housing status could not be independently verified.
Geography
- US states covered
- Illinois
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Chicago
- Counties covered
- Cook
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Complementary program enrollment required
- Not confirmed as required, but Working Credit (financial coaching) and LIFT (family economic mobility coaching) are listed as affiliated partner organizations offering complementary support services per seed data, this could not be independently verified.
- Research / participation requirements
Seed data lists a research partner referred to as 'Center for Guaranteed Income at UPenn' (likely the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice, a common research partner for U.S. guaranteed income pilots) with a Final Evaluation Report expected in 2028. This could not be independently verified via public search in this session.
Application Process
- How to apply
Not publicly documented. the-network.org hosts a password-protected 'Affording Survival Application' page, indicating enrollment is managed through partner-agency referral (e.g., a survivor's transitional housing program, such as Apna Ghar's) rather than open public application.
- Selection process
Not publicly detailed. Based on seed data, participants are selected from survivors already enrolled in a partner agency's transitional housing program in Cook County, with agencies including Apna Ghar serving as referral partners.
