Social Services
United Way Human Services Survey Published June 25, 2016
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The United Way of Illinois recently surveyed state-funded human service agencies throughout Illinois. Of the 429 responding agencies, 91% have reduced the number of clients they serve due to the budget impasse. Agencies have used cash reserves and lines of credit to weather the impasse, collectively taking on $37 million in debt. 36% of the responding agencies expect to close within six months if they do not receive state funding (1).
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Rape Crisis Centers Published May 11, 2016
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The Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault is comprised of 29 community-based sexual assault crisis centers. These organizations provide 24-hour crisis intervention services, counseling, and advocacy programs (1). Together these organizations serve 18,000 survivors of sexual assault each year (2). 45% of these organizations’ government funding comes from the State of Illinois, approximately $5.6 million (2). Without these funds, crisis centers have reduced services and are at risk of closing.
Sources: (1) Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault (2) Chicago Sun-Times (3) Fox 32 Chicago (4) Northern Public Radio (5) Growing Strong GoFundMe Page (6) Rape Advocacy Counseling & Education Services (7) WPSD Local 6, The Southern Illinoisan (8) Commercial News |
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Homelessness Published May 11, 2016
The budget impasse has harmed the ability of state-funded homeless services providers to meet their clients’ needs. The state has $107 million in dedicated funds for building affordable housing and ending homelessness, which are going unused. These funds have their own sources of revenue, so spending them will not increase the state budget deficit (1).
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An estimated 8,187 clients of homeless service providers have seen their services Reduced or eliminated This estimate is based on information provided by 78 state-funded homeless services providers. There are approximately 200 state-funded service providers in Illinois, so the total impact is likely larger (1).
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Senior Citizen Services Published May 16, 2016
Area agencies on aging provide a variety of important services for older adults, including: care coordination, congregate and home-delivered meals, transportation services, caregiver support services, and adult protective services (to prevent and intervene in cases of abuse of older adults). In order to receive federal funding through the Older Americans Act, these organizations are required by law to also receive state funding (1). The map below shows selected impacts of the budget impasse on these organizations, which include reductions in service availability, staff lay-offs and furloughs, and service provider closures.
Sources: (1) Illinois Aging Network Alert
Immigration and Refugees Published May 24, 2016
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The Illinois budget includes a line item for immigrant services, which assists immigrants in determining their eligibility for public benefits and provides citizenship application assistance. The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights has 60 partner organizations which implement these services. Due to the budget impasse, an estimated 102,000 clients will not be able to access these services (1).
The budget impasse has led to staff reductions among immigrant- and refugee-serving organizations. As of January 2016, 200 staff members had been laid off at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Services' partner organizations (1). Sources: (1) Progress Illinois
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Department of Human Services / Pay Now Illinois Published May 26, 2016
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The Department of Human Services owes over $350 million to service providers for state-issued contracts (1). Recently, a group of 82 human service organizations, Pay Now Illinois, filed suit against Governor Rauner seeking over $130 million for services provided in FY16. (2)
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Sources: (1) Voices for Illinois Children (2) Pay Now Illinois
Economic Impact of Human Services Published May 27, 2016
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In addition to the importance of social service agencies to their clients, human services contribute substantially to Illinois' economy. A report by Illinois Partners for Human Service recently estimated that the human services sector in Illinois has an economic impact of $4.5 billion annually. Human service agencies in the state employ 169,000 people, around 3.5% of the Illinois workforce (1). The budget impasse places these economic activities and livelihoods at risk throughout the state.
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