This article was originally published in Chalkbeat.
The city of Chicago has extended a deadline for low-income families to apply for at least $500 if they have children with disabilities — a cash subsidy intended to provide some relief to students and parents with additional needs during the pandemic faced challenges.
The original deadline for the effort – first revealed in April – was October 30. The Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities has extended the deadline until Friday, November 15.
The new deadline comes after less than half of the desired number of beneficiaries had been approved or received in early October. Interested parties can register online at www.AdaMOPD.com or can text “AdaMOPD” to (877) 478-1359.
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When the city announced the program, it said it would provide grants to as many as 8,000 families using federal COVID relief money from the Biden administration. But as of mid-September, about six weeks before the original deadline, the city had awarded just 2,000 grants, according to data obtained by Chalkbeat through a Freedom of Information Act request. According to the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, a total of 8,722 applications had been submitted at that time.
As of Oct. 1, 9,263 applications had been received or initiated, according to a tally by then-City Hall spokesman Ronnie Reese. At that time, a total of 3,717 families had been approved for the subsidies, including families who had not received subsidies. the money yet, Reese said. About 4,400 people had started the application but had not completed it and “did not provide all required documentation or information,” Reese said at the time, adding that a community team was trying to help these families complete their applications.
The city had asked another 779 applicants to provide more information as of Oct. 1. The city rejected 264 applications because they were ineligible; 57 applications had not yet been assessed. A City Hall spokesperson did not immediately share updated numbers Monday.
Students with disabilities have faced increasing challenges during the pandemic. These students are legally entitled to services at school that are outlined in an Individualized Education Program (IEP), which may include additional help or therapies at school. However, the closure of schools during the pandemic left many students without this support.
Like other districts, Chicago Public Schools fell far behind in assessing students with disabilities for the supports they needed during the early part of the pandemic, a Chalkbeat survey found.
The city had budgeted $5 million for the program through American Rescue Plan dollars, which the federal government distributed to cities and states during the pandemic. About $1 million of that went to the Ada S. McKinley Community Center, which the city partnered with to distribute the grant, to cover administrative costs.
Chicago received nearly $2 billion in American Rescue Plan funds. Like the COVID relief money that went to school districts, these funds are temporary and should be earmarked next month, according to the city.
Scholarship applicants for the program must be parents or guardians of students with disabilities and may apply for a maximum of two scholarships per household. Applicants must be Chicago residents and earn no more than 300% of the federal poverty level, or up to $93,600 for a family of four, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Families must have documentation that their child is receiving services at school, such as an Individualized Education Program or a 504 plan, or proof from a doctor that their child has a disability.
In a prepared statement, Jamal Malone, CEO of Ada S. McKinley Community Services, which contracted with the city to help people register for the grant, said that with school “in full swing,” families can learn about the subsidy during school visits. , such as during parent-teacher conferences.
His organization also hosts events at local libraries to inform families about the grants.
Sherry Henry, whose son is in high school and on the autism spectrum, attended the mayor’s announcement in April and said she received her scholarship money over the summer. She said she used the grant mostly to pay her bills, but she also let her son choose something he wanted. He took out some sketchbooks.
She credits the extra money with sparking a love of art in her son, who chose to buy the sketchbooks.
“He never said he was going to be an artist before, but he said he’s going to be an artist now, so yeah, so I can laugh about that,” Henry said.
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