On July 1, Illinois' new fiscal year began without a state budget in place thanks to the General Assembly's failure to raise the income tax rate and pass a balanced spending plan. The ongoing political stalemate has left social service providers in the dark about how much state funding they will receive over the next 12 months. As a result, many of these organizations have begun laying off staff and scaling back their programs, leaving recovering addicts, domestic violence survivors, the developmentally disabled, and other vulnerable citizens in the lurch.
As the negotiations continue in Springfield, Progress Illinois plans to track the ongoing fallout statewide. But we need your help. If you hear of further cuts and layoffs by social services agencies -- either directly or via news reports -- please send that information to contact@progressillinois.com so that we can add it to our list.
Below is a map of the affected organizations we've identified so far, followed by the full list. (Click here to explore a larger version of the map.)
THE EFFECTS OF THE STATE BUDGET STALEMATE
(List last updated: July 14, 2009, 11:30 a.m.)
# of affected agencies identified: 87
Minimum # of employees given layoff notices: 1,883
Minimum # of clients affected: 14,303
- The Occupational Development Center in Bloomington has discontinued a program that provides job training for the developmentally disabled. (Pantagraph, 7/1/09)
- The Association for Individual Development in Aurora has cut 80 jobs and "told 1,100 clients with developmental and mental health disabilities that they would lose services." (Daily Herald, 7/1/09)
- The H Group in West Frankfort has laid off 31 staff and transferred and changed salaries for another 12. In total, 59 positions have been cut, including through attrition, elimination of positions occupied by staff from temporary agencies, and lay-offs. Administrators estimate 1,000 fewer people will receive addiction counseling as a result. (The Southern, 7/1/09; Verified by PI, 7/9/09)
- Urbana domestic violence shelter A Woman's Fund has laid off 12 of its 33 employees. (News-Gazette, 7/1/09)
- Thirty-five of the 210 staffers at the Mental Health Center of Champaign County will be laid off effective July 17. In addition, ten open positions have been terminated. (News-Gazette, 7/8/09)
- Staff cuts at Between Friends in Chicago means the organization will be able to provide counseling for 3,000 fewer domestic violence survivors this year. (WBEZ, 7/1/09)
- Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, an agency that treats non-violent convicts with addiction problems, has furloughed 139 employees for two weeks without pay. A representative tells us: "The DHS budget cuts have affected 2,500 non-violent offenders referred to TASC by the justice system for assessment and placement into community-based drug treatment programs." (CBS Chicago, 7/1/09, Verified by PI, 7/10/09)
- Twenty-four hour addiction treatment facility Fellowship House in Anna has cut seven jobs and cut the number of patients by half. (The Southern, 7/1/09)
- Cairo's Delta Center, which provides "mental health, prevention and youth services to about 1,000 people annually," has cut 10 jobs, discontinued services to over 70 individuals, and stopped accepting referrals. (The Southern, 7/1/09)
- Southern Illinois Social Services in Carbondale gave 20 employees their two-week notice. (The Southern, 7/1/09)
- On July 1, Community Counseling Centers of Chicago laid off 14 workers, affecting over 250 Chicagoans who depend on their services. By July 6, the number of layoffs had reached 32, with services terminated for 1,200 individuals. (WBEZ, 7/1/09; Verified by PI, 7/6/09)
- The Mattoon Area Adult Education Center laid off eight employees and shut down its facility for the first time in 44 years. (Journal-Gazette/Times-Courier, 7/1/09)
- Dove Inc., which provides job training to the homeless in Decatur, laid off a third of its staff and discontinued several programs. (Herald & Review, 7/1/09)
- Also in Decatur, Macon Resources Inc. eliminated 26 positions, terminating its "group care for adults and children, sheltered work program for people with developmental disabilities ... and a self-advocacy program." (Herald & Review, 7/1/09)
- Chicago's Carole Robertson Center, which provides early childhood care and education, laid off 20 of its 170 employees on July 2 and gave the rest a 25 percent pay cut. (Crain's, 7/4/09)
- Foster care and education services organization Children Home + Aid, based in Chicago, has cut 86 of its 750 employees. The group provides services for over 40,000 children and families across the state. (Crain's, 7/4/09)
- Aurora's Mutual Ground Inc., which counsels victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault, is closing its emergency shelter. (Crain's, 7/4/09)
- Planned Parenthood of Illinois laid off 19 employees. (State Journal-Register, 7/4/09)
- In its Chicago, Dixon and Peoria offices, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois laid off 32 workers who provided children’s services. (State Journal-Register, 7/4/09)
- In Lawrenceville, Cra-Wa-La Volunteers in Probation, Inc. laid off three staff members last week. The group "serves 16 southeastern Illinois counties with such services as mentoring, meth prevention and youth advocacy." (Daily Republican Register, 7/6/09)
- The Ray Graham Association discontinued an array of services that assist families with developmentally disabled children, including: day programming, supported employment, supported living arrangements, and respite programs. The organization estimates that 900 people with disabilities will be affected. (Press release, 7/1/09)
- The board of trustees for Lincoln Land Community Colleges has notified 10 employees that they will be laid off on August 1. (State Journal-Register, 6/25/09; Verified by PI, 7/6/09)
- Clearbrook in Arlington Heights laid off 25 employees at the start of the month and discontinued employment programs for 85 individuals with developmental disabilities. (Provider website, 7/1/09)
- The Rockford-based Janet Wattles Center, a community mental health provider, laid off 21 employees on July 2. (Verified by PI, 7/6/09)
- Thresholds, a Chicago-area mental illness service provider, laid off 60 people during FY 2009 due to funding shortages. The most recent round of layoffs occurred three weeks ago. Administrators say that, without state funding in place, they will be forced to cut 180 staff positions on July 15 and reduce their service capacity by 2,500. (Verified by PI, 7/6/09)
- In late June, Metropolitan Family Services sent layoff notices to 100 employees. The organizations provides supportive services to families in the Chicagoland area. (Verified by PI, 7/6/09)
- Springfield Arc Inc., which provides respite services to families with developmentally disabled children, discontinued its summer program, which had enrolled 69 Springfield area children. The agency has laid off 55 employees since mid-June. (State Journal-Register, 7/7/09)
- Sojourn Shelter & Services in Springfield has laid off eight of its 17 full-time staff members and reduced the number of available shelter beds by half, from 32 to 16. (State Journal-Register, 7/7/09)
- The alcohol and drug detoxification program administered in Bloomington by Chestnut Health Systems was discontinued July 1 due to uncertainty regarding state funding. In the past year, more than 400 people from 43 counties were served by the program. Eight employees lost their jobs as a result of the cuts. (Pantagraph, 6/24/09)
- Mujeres, an agency that provides support services to Latinas in Chicago, has chosen to close its doors on Fridays and asked employees to take furlough days over the next two months. (Verified by PI, 7/7/09)
- The Human Service Center of Southern Metro-East, a community mental health agency in Red Bud, laid off six employees and reduced working hours for eighteen other employees. Approximately 500 people will not receive services as result. (Verified by PI, 7/7/09)
- Esperanza Community Services, a Chicago school for developmentally disabled children and adults, has eliminated 4 positions. Due to the possibility of a 100% grant cut, their Client and Family Support Program (which serves more than 150 families a year) is in jeopardy of closing. (Verified by PI, 7/7/09)
- The Ecker Center for Mental Health, which serves the northern two/thirds of Kane County and Hanover and Barrington Townships, has laid off 17 employees. They still face another $500,000 in cuts to reach a balanced budget for FY 2010. (Verified by PI, 7/7/09)
- Community Support Services in Brookfield has discontinued 75 percent of its respite care services for developmentally disabled children. Under the bare-bones budget, the agency will have to terminate 100 percent of its group home services and 80 percent of its family support case management. This will require the organization to turn away half of the 600 families they currently serve. (Verified by PI, 7/7/09)
- Stopping Woman Abuse Now, located in Olney and serving a nine-county area, has laid off 13 staff and closed both its homeless shelter and residential shelter for domestic violence victims. (Verified by PI, 7/7/09)
- Chicago's Neumann Association, which provides services to adults with mental illness and developmental disabilities, has laid off 42 employees and has cut services to over 100 clients and their families. A representative tells us that "50% of these clients will lose their jobs due to the cuts in services. 50 sets of elderly parents and medically fragile caregivers have been left alone to provide care for their sons and daughters. The stress and anxiety has forced 4 clients to be hospitalized." (Verified by PI, 7/7/09)
- Chicago's oldest women-focused social service agency, the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, has laid off 48 staff members (out of 140). They have also discontinued two of their programs. (Verified by PI, 7/7/09)
- On July 15, Youth Outreach Unlimited offices in Lasalle County are scheduled to close, thereby ending afterschool programs used by thousands of local children. (News-Tribune, 7/7/09)
- A Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Service (ADV & SAS), which serves victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in La Salle and Livingston counties, has cut 10 employees from its 23-member staff and reduced hours for the remaining workers. (The Times, 7/6/09)
- The Youth Service Bureau in Ottawa has cut eight staff members and reduced the capacity of its afterschool programming and counseling for at-risk youth. (The Times, 7/6/09)
- After 20 years in operation in Lasalle County, the Easter Seals Lekotek program, designed to teach families how to interact with a special needs family member, has closed. (The Times, 7/6/09)
- Ottawa Friendship House eliminated three part-time positions and instituted a hiring freeze. The the center may reduce or discontinue its client and family support, supported employment, and regular work programs. (The Times, 7/6/09)
- In Springfield, the Boys & Girls Club of Central Illinois is temporarily closing its east side facility, where about 100 children regularly participate in programs. The move has resulted in 10 layoffs. (State Journal-Register, 7/7/09)
- The Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights has laid off 20 employees and scaled back six programs in Chicago, which served those with mental health and substance abuse problems, TANF recipients, immigrants, and the homeless. They estimate that nearly 4,000 are no longer receiving their services as a result. (Verified by PI, 7/8/09)
- The McHenry County Youth Service Bureau, which provides deliquency prevention and intervention programs, has laid off 6 full-time employees (out of 40) and has terminated services for 75 children and their families. (Verified by PI, 7/8/09)
- Growing Strong Sexual Assault Center in Decatur has been forced to lay off one counselor and cut their work week to 32 hours for five other staff members. Three employees have been cut to 24 hours per week. A representative tells us: "These shortened hours will affect counseling and advocacy services for victims of sexual assault." (Verified by PI, 7/8/09)
- The Developmental Services Center serves children and adults with developmental disabilities in Champaign County. The group cut 18 jobs on July 6 and has begun scaling back services. (News-Gazette, 7/8/09)
- On July 1, the ARC of Rock Island County, which provides services for the developmentally disabled, sent out 38 layoff notices and informed 85 people that they will lose their Arc services as of July 15. (Quad Cities Online, 7/2/09)
- The Vermilion County Rape Crisis Center has laid off 2 full-time and 1 part-time workers. (Verified by PI, 7/9/09)
- Pioneer Center for Human Services, which serves several hundred clients with mental illness and disabilities in McHenry County, notified 31 employees that they will lose their jobs effective July 24. (Verified by PI, 7/9/09)
- On July 3, the Family Alliance in Woodstock informed the 55-65 seniors enrolled in their support programs that their services will be terminated. (Verified by PI, 7/9/09)
- CeaseFire, a Chicago-based organization that mediates neighborhood disputes in the hopes of curbing gun violence, has laid off 150 community staff members and is no functioning with a "skeleton staff" of 25. (Chi-Town Daily News, 7/9/09)
- Gads Hill Center provides services to low-income and immigrant children and families in Chicago, including child care and early education, educational support services, and services to low-income working parents. A representative tells us: "So far one entire program has been closed, and 4 workers have been laid off. This ends service for 80 youth. All 75 remaining employees will be subject to a potential 12 unpaid furlough days." (Verified by PI, 7/9/09)
- In Cicero, Seguin Services has laid of 18 employees and discontinued aid for 27 clients, effective August 3. The agency "supports adults and children with disabilities and other special needs." (Verified by PI, 7/9/09)
- Family Focus, which operates seven direct service centers in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, laid off 35 staff and reduced hours for 10 other staff. A representative tells us: "If these staff reductions were to become permanent and last all year, approximately 2,000 families would loss vital family support, early childhood development and after school services." (Verified by PI, 7/9/09)
- Community Link, headquartered in Breese, Illinois, provides employment, job training and housing to more than 400 developmentally disabled individuals. The agency has laid off six staffers and demoted two others. The cuts have required them to terminate all services for 11 clients and limit them for 29 others. (Verified by PI, 7/9/09)
- Opportunities for Access, a "center for independent living" agency that promotes the empowerment of persons with disabilities, has laid off nine of their 18 staffers. The organization has three offices (in Mt. Vernon, Effingham, and Carmi). The cuts are expected to affect over 400 clients. (Verified by PI, 7/9/09)
- Youth Guidance enables at-risk children in Chicago-area public schools to "overcome obstacles, focus on their education and, ultimately, to succeed in school and in life." They have so far laid off 24 staff and have reduced in staff time for 18 others. These cuts eliminate services to 1101 students. (Verified by PI, 7/9/09)
- The Adolescent Health Center in Carbondale has laid off two full-time staff members in its Healthy Families Illinois program, which assists at-risk families in the four largely rural counties of Jackson, Perry, Franklin, and Williamson. A representative tells us: "We will not be able to serve any new families at this time, although we are going to try to maintain the caseload we have now, with a drastically reduced staff and this will impact how often families receive home visits. We also can no longer provide transportation to medical/social service appointments and can no longer offer monthly group meetings." (Verified by PI, 7/10/09)
- Prairie State Legal Services is laying off one employee at its Waukegan office. A representative tells us: "Up to seven to twelve further lay-offs are contemplated in upcoming months throughout this large legal aid law firm throughout Northern Illinois due to lack of funds." (Verified by PI, 7/10/09)
- Riverbend Head Start's Family Foundations program has notified 15 of its employees that they will be out of job come July 15. The group provides housing assistance, employment support, literacy skills, early childhood development and transportation assistance to Madison County families with children ages 0 to 3 years. (Verified by PI, 7/10/09)
- In Princeton, Gateway Services, Inc., which provides services in Bureau, Marshall and Putnam counties, has eliminated funding for in-home respite. This affects 40 families and 50 children with developmental disabilities. On August 1st, Gateway is terminating services to another 31 people for supported employment and 15 for family support services and reassigning 6 employees from those programs to other service areas. (Verified by PI, 7/10/09)
- Resources for Community Living in Rolling Meadows has laid off 20 percent of its staff and plans to begin to cutting services and further staff positions when our emergency cash reserve has been depleted, likely beginning this September. The agency matches adults with developmental disabilities with elderly homeowners in mutually beneficial homesharing arrangements. A representative tells us: "I anticipate that without the restoration of funding, this highly accredited, best practice model agency will be forced to downsize by at least 50%, merge or close our doors by the years end." (Verified by PI, 7/10/09)
- On July 2, the South East Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center, a major provider of substance abuse treatment and prevention services on Chicago's Southeast side, laid off 11 employees because of the state's budget crisis. The agency has reduced service hours by 13 hours per week. SEADAC has a waiting list of 33 people requesting help and prior to the budget crisis. (Verified by PI, 7/10/09)
- Wells Center, a substance abuse treatment agency in Jacksonville, has notified staff that it will be closing its residential programs and laying off 34 staff effective September 1. (Verified by PI, 7/10/09)
- The Illinois Valley Center for Independent Living (IVCIL) is a nonprofit service and advocacy organization serving persons with any type of disability in Bureau, LaSalle, Marshall, Putnam, and Stark counties. IVCIL was forced to lay off their Youth Advocate, Deaf Services Coordinator, and Independent Living Advocate, as well as to notify the remaining staff that they will be required to take unpaid days. Their center will close on the third Friday of each month unless cuts are restored. (Verified by PI, 7/10/09)
- Safe Harbor Family Crisis Center in Galesburg has laid off two of their seven full time employees. (Verified by PI, 7/10/09)
- New Hope Center in Dolton "provides services that enhance the quality of life for persons with developmental disabilities." They have either laid off or reduced hours for 11 employees and discontinued services to 11 clients. (Verified by PI, 7/10/09)
- Shelter, Inc. in Arlington Heights provides community-based, emergency and temporary housing for thousands of children and adolescents who are abused, neglected, dependent or in need of supervision. They have had to lay off six of eight staff members and have reduced caseloads accordingly. (Verified by PI, 7/10/09)
- Family Shelter Services has terminated an emergency shelter program in Glen Ellyn which has been operating since 1980, serving over 3,000 women and children in that time. In addition, all administration and development staff have reduced hours and salary by 10 percent, a hiring freeze has been implemented on unfilled positions, and five full time positions have been eliminated. (Verified by PI, 7/10/09)
- On July 10, five full time workers were laid off from Lifelink Corporation Healthy Families Program in Bensenville. Two more layoffs are scheduled for Friday July 17. As a result, 75 families will lose home visitation services. (Verified by PI, 7/10/09)
- ARC Community Support Systems, with offices in Effingham, Teutopolis and Olney, suspended services to 51 families in its in-home respite program, terminated its ABC Program that served 75 infants, children and their families, and ended Family Matters services to 78 children. The organization laid-off 18 workers and moved several others to part-time status. (Herald & Review, 7/13/09)
- On the weekend of July 4, Normal-based Marcfirst was forced to eliminate services to over 85 developmentally-disabled children and 80 adults leaving many of their families with nowhere else to turn. Sixty positions at Marcfirst were eliminated, while salaries for 28 other staff members were reduced by 12.5 percent. (Verified by PI, 7/13/09)
- Heritage Behavioral Health Center in Decatur has laid off more than 20 of the agency's 230 employees and cut the salaries of most of those remaining by 5 percent to 15 percent, effective July 13. The agency serves individuals with mental illness or substance abuse problems. (Herald & Review, 7/12/09)
- The Healthy Families Illinois program at the Henry/Stark County Health Department has laid off four employees and will suspend services to 44 families as of July 31st until further notice. (Verified by PI, 7/13/09)
- Safe Haven Recovery Homes, which provides housing and support for individuals recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction, has cut the number of "client beds" by 150. They are also considering laying off a third of their staff (about 20 employees) by July 17. (Verified by PI, 7/13/09)
- DePaul Family and Community Services, which primarily serves Medicaid population living in two Chicago Housing Authority communities -- Cabrini-Green and Lathrop Homes -- is laying off eight staff. Two satellite offices have also been closed. (Verified by PI, 7/13/09)
- Maine Center in Park Ridge has suspended its child and adolescent pyschiatry program, which serves 350 families. All staff have taken a 20 percent pay cut. If funding is not restored, as many as 12 employees could be laid off. (Verified by PI, 7/13/09)
- First Step Learning, Inc., which provides day care services in Belvidere, has laid off three employees. (Verified by PI, 7/13/09)
- On July 8, Trilogy, Inc. laid off 28 employees. They are anticipating having to cut or eliminate services to about 130 clients. Trilogy provides mental health treatment for adults with serious mental illnesses in the Rogers Park and Evanston neighborhoods of Chicago. (Verified by PI, 7/13/09)
- Circlefamily HealthCare Network in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood laid off 11 of its employees in the adult behavioral health services division on June 9. Those workers represented about 35 percent of the agency's staff in that division. (Verified by PI, 7/14/09)
- The Knox County Health Department laid off seven employees, effective July 24. "The state has given us no guidance as far as the budget is concerned," Michele Fishburn, the department's director of community health improvement, told Gatehouse News Service. (Gatehouse, 7/10/09)
- The Ounce of Prevention Fund, an early childhood program provider and advocacy organization, laid off 11 employees and moved three others from full-time to part-time status. Additionally, all remaining staff members are required to take five unpaid days before the end of the year. (Verified by PI, 7/14/09)
- Family Service and Mental Health Center of Cicero has begun terminating services to over 250 mentally ill adults and emotionally disturbed children. These clients depend on the agency to receive medication, counseling and support. The agency also plans to lay off five clinical staff positions by the end of July if funding is not restored. (Verified by PI, 7/14/09)
- The Milestone Dental Clinic in Rockford, which provides dental care to adults and children with developmental disabilities from 18 Illinois counties, has eliminated 4 full time staff positions, and reduced 2 full time positions to part time. (Verified by PI, 7/14/09)
- Marillac Social Center in Chicago laid off almost one-third of its 85-member staff and closed programs to prevent teen pregnancy and substance abuse. (AP, 7/14/09)
- Leyden Family Services, headquartered in Chicago's Franklin Park neighborhood, treats people "with challenges in drug and alcohol use, gambling, mental health, emergency food and shelter, obtaining public benefits, children's programs, family counseling and others." The agency has discontinued a program that helps foster children, eliminating four staff people in the process. (Franklin Park Herald-Journal, 6/30/09)
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Comments
Don Moss (not verified) on Mon, 07/06/2009 - 09:55
Great idea. I have encouraged all our members to feed in their numbers.
Josh Kalven on Mon, 07/06/2009 - 09:59
Thanks, Don!
Theresa (not verified) on Mon, 07/06/2009 - 17:21
I work for Children's Home + Aid, and was given my layoff notice after 9 years. This organization has been around through the Great Depression, and many recessions, and still stood strong. But the Illinois State Legislature, acting like children, may very well be our downfall.
Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 07/07/2009 - 20:46
Although this news may seem bad, this is an opportunity for charities, churches and local communities to help out and get back to their roots. Assistance for people should never come through coercive govts through the threat of force (jail) if their citizens do not contribute (pay their taxes).
There was a day long ago in this country when people could depend on their neighbors and local community and church for help. Although these cutbacks may seem unbearable, I guarantee you that things will turn out OK. As many are learning, you can not depend on your govt, nor should you. Our government was created to protect our freedoms and liberties and to protect us from foreign invaders.
Imagine a society where govt was hardly involved in our lives. We would have more time to help others since we wouldn't have to work so hard to pay our taxes, we would have more money to give to charities and you wouldn't have to worry about corrupt politicians wasting our hard earned money.
dg (not verified) on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 13:09
Randites always have the best drugs.
Karen (not verified) on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 14:45
Churches and charities can no longer handle the problems and need like they used to. Most Churches are broke and most positions require people with advanced degrees and licenses to provide the services. I'm tired of hearing about how corrupt the govt is - have you really forgotten that quickly about Wall Street, Enron, etc.? Corporations are more corrupt and so are some churches and charities. I have worked for a church that also provided community social services and didn't have qualified people and finally went out of business because of their corruption. Churches and charities can't afford to provide services alone without govt help to pay for the services as well as the salaries of employees. Why should social service employees work for nothing or low salaries when we have to spend a lot of money for bachelor or master degrees and obtain and maintain licenses like any other profession? Social service has become a profession just like doctors, nurses, etc. Stop complaining about taxes - I bet you don't complain when you have to call the police, fireman, enjoy parks, drive on a freeway/road, ride a train, draw social security or take advantage of any other variety of things that taxes pay for. I'm going to assume by your attitude that you are not laid off or can afford to be laid off - good for you! Not everyone is so fortunate. As with anything it will get better but it won't be due to the govt not being involved and leaving it to churches and charities alone - we need everyone! Gone are the days of women being able to stay home and volunteer, churches and charities relying on donations and being able to provide for the needy by themselves.
Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 21:44
Everytime I read this perspective, I have to ask myself how much security, and your family's security you will compromise beyond what you already contribute?. I am a generous donor to three essential social service programs and to my congregation. I contribute enormous time as well as dollars. I still know that without government dollars I and other donors cannot fund the necessary services. The finest, best run and well endowed programs still depend on government (taxpayer) dollars.
It's just a reality. I doubt that the level of generosity the author assumes is accessible really is.
Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 21:50
"There was a day long ago in this country when people could depend on their neighbors and local community and church for help."
Have to laugh. Obviously this dolt has not darkened the door of a local congregation, or his/her neighbors for a long while! Dreamland.
Our neighbors are struggling to keep their own ends together and the local pastor has been working an unpaid extra 20 hours a week for about 4 decades.
Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/10/2009 - 10:34
I am the son of a Lutheran pastor who is retired, and cares for my 45 year old developmentally disabled brother. My dad has been terrified of removing my brother from his major medical insurance, at $300 a month premium, although my brother does now have a Medicaid and Medicare card. My father was paid a pittance all his working life, and had to pay self employment tax into Social SEcurity to boot, because ministers are not "employees" to the IRS, they are self employed. My father needs this $300 a month to pay for his own retirement expenses... and this does not address what happens when my dad dies or he himself is disabled. THe citizens of Illinois already expect my dad to care for my brother until he is himself disabled or has died. Meanwhile my brother watches TV most of the day when he could be doing so much more, if only there was a program for him. If I became unemployed, there are tons of programs for me... but where is the support for my brother? He got ignored the minute he graduated from high school.
My brother is on a waiting list for support services. I could quit my full time academic job and take care of my brother myself, but then I would lose all my health insurance and have to go on medicaid myself. We have little family inheritance to live off of... The church agencies which run group homes and sheltered workshops cannot run their programs through donations from the church; they depend on their clients having Medicare and Medicaid, and also a small disability allowance, and also depend on the little grants and funding they can get from the state. Obviously the writer of that statement doesn't have a completely disabled member of the family.
ding (not verified) on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 12:59
Anonymous,
Unfortunately, we don't live in 1782.
The world, and its social ills, is way more complicated than a nostalgic memory of charity organizations run on in-kind donations. In the modern age, without robust revenue streams (from a combination of private and public sources) the modern human services infrastructure we have won't have capacity to deal with the depth and breadth of need that currently exists.
Are you really saying you want to see a return to the way things were done at least 80 years ago? Jeez. Do you know how human services were delivered back then? It was freaking barbaric.
Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 14:22
++Although this news may seem bad, this is an opportunity for charities, churches and local communities to help out and get back to their roots.++
Let's stop this misguided myth that "charities", churches and local communities are twiddling their thumbs while papa government does everything. Talk to any of the service providers getting hit by the budget crisis, and they will give you a long list of foundations, corporations, individuals, churches, and others that give until it hurts to support their work. They volunteer, they hold fundraisers, they advocate, they provide in-kind donations.
On top of this variety of sources of support, we all support these services through our taxes, the same way support the building of roads and bridges we drive on, the parks we play in, the police force that protects us. Our taxes and how our government spends those taxes is a reflection of our commitment to the broader community and our values. We are the government, it is our money. Stop putting false walls between the resources provided through government channels and the resources provided through private channels.
Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 10:37
"Imagine a society where govt was hardly involved in our lives. We would have more time to help others since we wouldn't have to work so hard to pay our taxes"
Odd ... the majority of my income goes to banks (mortgage, car loan), private health insurance (combo of premiums and co-pays), my kids (food, clothes, recreation, education), and my lovely wife (the ever-more rare dates and even more rare bling).
Considering they pay for protections from police to military to even the FAA and CDC and also help me invest in my community by boosting my property values through commonweal improvements ... well, taxes are an incredibly small part of where my income goes even when you take into account all the sales taxes, govt fees, property and income taxes.
Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 10:42
Meanwhile there will be no cuts at schools due to the stipulations of the federal stimulus package. Why do I point this out? Becasue Unions who overwhealmingly supported Obama are being taken care of while those of us non union social service workers who also gave tremendous support (but are not organized) are left in the cold. What were we thinking when we supported this slate of candidates.
Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 11:29
++Meanwhile there will be no cuts at schools due to the stipulations of the federal stimulus package. Why do I point this out? Becasue Unions who overwhealmingly supported Obama are being taken care of while those of us non union social service workers who also gave tremendous support (but are not organized) are left in the cold. What were we thinking when we supported this slate of candidates.++
Let's not make this about union vs. non-union employees. That does not help this fight at all. We need a full, responsible budget that funds education AND social services. Putting one against the other only helps those want no new revenue and are fine with these massive cuts.
Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 13:56
How is anyone suppose to survive with all of these budget cuts. I am a case manager for Home-Based Services and have 50 clients on my load, what are they suppose to do if the services get canceled. What are the parents suppose to do when they find out they can't work any more because they have to stay home to take care of their loved one because their developmental training program closed? What am I suppose to do if I get laid off from work, how am I suppose to provide for my family? I still have to worry about paying for my mortgage, student loan, food, utilities, diapers!!!
Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 15:15
I've been hesitant about jumping in on this thread, but I guess can't resist any longer.
I have the advantage of having worked in social service for about 20 years, both in primarily state-funded agencies and in non state-funded agencies. I can tell you from personal observation and experience that staff who work in state-funded agencies are dedicated professionals who work tirelessly to help those in need. I can also tell you, however, that the degree of mismanagement of funds in these agencies is parallel to what we're all currently deriding in our state government. The pure waste of taxpayer dollars in the name of serving the "sickest and the poorest" borders on criminal to a degree we're all ascribing to our local and state politicians. For example, in one agency in which I worked, state dollars had to pass through an agency president, a vice president, a division director, a program director, a program manager, and a direct service staff member before the client even saw the benefit of the money. How many cents on each dollar do you think actually went to help each client?
On the other hand, there are hundreds of agencies in Illinois alone that manage to serve clients without the benefit of state money; often serving as many or more clients as those agencies that receive state money, while existing on a budget that may be as little as 1/10 the size.
Do I want to go back to a more "barbaric" time? No, absolutely not. On the other hand, I agree that depending on the state government to completely fund social services is "barbaric", if not just simply idiotic. Those of us who work in this field have seen this crisis coming for years. Those agencies that have planned, that have developed non-dependent lines of revenue to support services in spite of state cuts, will survive at worst and thrive at best. Those agencies that have arrogantly depended on continued state dollars despite dire warnings from all parties will cut staff and services and will run the risk of closing their doors.
I don't feel sorry for those agencies, and neither should you. I do feel sorry for their clients and believe that each and every of those agencies should have to give an accounting to their (often former) clients for what they did with taxpayer dollars that were given to the agencies in their names.
Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/10/2009 - 14:16
Most social service agencies maintain below 20% of their budget going towards Administration/staff salaries with over 80% going directly to programs, clients and services. Of course some money must go towards administration costs and staff salaries (without staff how would clients receive services?), but certainly not at the detriment of clients and programs, and certainly not the amount of money hard working staff in the social service field deserve for the hours they put in.
Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 07/12/2009 - 19:50
I AM THE PRIVATE OWNER OF AN STATE FUNDING AND SOME PRIVATE PAY ADULT DAY CENTER IN BELLEVILLE, IL AND I AGREE TO DISAGREE WITH YOUR COMMENTS.
I BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR 14 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER BEEN PAID ENOUGH BY THE STATE OF ILLINOIS TO EVER GET AHEAD. I MAKE VERY LITTLE SALARY TO WORK AT THIS BUSINESS, BUT I ENJOY EVER MINUTE OF MY JOB OF KEEPING SENIORS OUT OF NURSING HOMES AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.
I HAD MY OWN MONEY THAT I RECEIVED WHEN A SOLD OUT OF A FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS TO OPEN MY ADULT DAY CENTER, OR BELIEVE ME EVEN WITH THE STATE FUNDING I WOULD NOT HAVE MADE IT. MY OWN MOTHER HAD A STROKE AT 59 YEARS OLD, RIDE SIDE PARALYIZED AND NO SPEECH. ALL OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS HAD TO WORK. WITHOUT ADULT DAY CENTERS IN 1981 WE HAD TO HIRE AROUND THE CLOCK NURSES AIDES TO CARE FOR HER, WHICH WAS VERY EXPENSIVE , AND WE HAD A LOT OF VALUABLES STOLEN WHILE THE CNA'S WERE THERE ALONE. MOST OF MY CLIENTS COULD NOT AFFORD TO PRIVATE PAY ADC AND WOULD END UP IN NURSING HOMES WHICH IS NOT A VERY GOOD PLACE TO BE UNTIL YOU REALLY NEED TO BE, AND COST 3-4 TIMES AS MUCH AS ADULT DAY CENTERS.
Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 15:48
Where are you getting your information???
I work at the Association for Individual Development in Aurora. We didn't cut anywhere near 80 jobs and yes there are clients who are going to lose service but nowhere near 1100!
Stop the dramatics, and stop the lying for the sake of public opinion.
Josh Kalven on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 16:26
Anon 16:48 -
Calm down. If you look at the list, you'll see where we got that information about AID in Aurora -- from this Daily Herald article:
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=303964&src=109
If the information included in that article is incorrect, then thank you for notifying us. We'll look into it tomorrow. No need to accuse us of "lying," however.
Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/10/2009 - 12:30
I just find it so sad, not only for the thousands of people that will not be able to receive vital social services, but also for the hundreds of employees being laid off and told to reduce hours. As if the budget and the economy isn't bad enough, lets lay more people off and put them out of work!
Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/10/2009 - 19:30
I am a recent graduate of a masters program in social work. In addition, I took the licensing exam and am now an LSW in the State of Illinois. How have I spent the last two months? Wasting my valuable skills and time, trying to find non-existent jobs. All the while I see need like never before and agencies struggling. I have offered my services on a volunteer basis, but agencies don't respond. Perhaps the person at the other end of my voice message was laid off; perhaps it's a liability issue; maybe staff are too overwhelmed to even look to "volunteer staff".
Bottom line - I love my job. I feel like I am watching a car wreck while sitting in an ambulance. Now I hear from talented fellow alumnae who are leaving the State convinced that this is not the place to build a career let alone serve your clients according to the professional ethics to which we adhere.
Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 07/12/2009 - 18:36
I believe the government will end up paying more for those people turned into criminals thanks to the layoffs, their services being cut off, or even turning their backs on those disabled..that will cause crime rates to go up and pay more towards the overcrowded jails using up our worthless tax dollars...The world is in chaos right now..I can't imagine what our children's future will be like...probably end up way worse than ours...my mind is in chaos too after seeing many of my friends being laid off, my uncle was laid off last year, my sister in law even will be laid off soon eventually..I may be next, who knows...The politicians sure did fXXk everything up...
I work at a group home, if this agency closes, where will those mentally ill disabled go?? back to mental institutions??? I feel terrible for them!!! Lets work together and fight against them!!!!
ohhannaht (not verified) on Sun, 07/12/2009 - 22:07
This all is very difficult to undue what is. I work in a group home . Im lucky to love my job but they told me layoffs are coming. I live at home with my mom. and if i did lose my job i think she would help me out . But i cannot just not work and stay at home, or be looking for a job that isnt there. I would tell my boss that I would still come into work and work for free. I dont think everyone could do that. Especially with morgages and babys to take care of. .. I think it possibil . But what if more and more people that can said i will do my job, do what i can. for nothing in return. and tell there daycare providers im doing this for the people that need me could you do this for me. tell there doctors im doing this for free because im needed could you please help me. tell there landlords im doing this for the sake of someone else could you do this for me. tell the people who sell our food and they will tell the people who grow the food. Would we be using each other? and taking advantage of each other? We would have what we need but not to much, and give whats needed..
Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 07/19/2009 - 20:21
Children's Home + Aid actually laid off 91 (not 86) employees as quoted above. I was among them and am very scared of not being able to find employment as all of my education and experience has trained me for a career in social service, a field that is simply not hiring right now. I feel horrible for all of the employees that were laid off as well as the clients which will be affected. The clients in these programs need us the most right now, and their simply won't be enough staff to fully attend to their needs. I do think that people will start to rethink their decision not to raise taxes when clients left with no other options start stealing to feed and clothe their family. I also foresee an increase in incarcerations and hospitalizations as a result of the cuts.
Jackie Wiksten (not verified) on Thu, 07/23/2009 - 15:10
Can you please tell me what the point of doing this is?
And just because Gov Quinn is still working on making cuts doesn't mean the agencies who suffered job cuts and cuts in services between July 14th and now (July 23rd) should not have a voice here and not be counted until sometime next week.
David Ormsby (not verified) on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 08:28
Progress Illinois
By tracking these cuts, you are filling the role of the House and Senate program and budget oversight committees; the committees should be holding hearings on the budget cut impacts. And they are not.
David Ormsby
Stephanie (not verified) on Mon, 08/10/2009 - 16:36
Hey I am doing a research project on disability in Illinois. I was wondering if there was a place that contained percentages of what departments received how much funding after the appeal was made recently? I want to compare the cuts (in percentages) directly after the budget was passed to the cuts (in percentages) to after the budget was appealled. It states that instead of the 50-75 percent cut it is now only a 14 percent cut?
Does anyone know how this affects these agencies now?
Thanks!
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