We are on the verge of entering year three without a fully funded, balanced budget in the state of Illinois. This increasingly likely scenario is hard to swallow, particularly for folks who are living on the margins and struggling to make ends meet.<\/p>\n
These individuals\u2014children and youth, single parents, working families, immigrants, people with disabilities, the elderly, those suffering from mental health issues and addiction, the homeless\u2014were already all too easily forgotten by politicians and even the best intentioned voters. Failure to pass a budget pushes them further into obscurity.<\/p>\n
Under no circumstances can such a modus operandi <\/em>become normalized. This budget crisis, which has ravaged our state and the victims it leaves in its path, is unacceptable.<\/strong><\/p>\n The consequences are plain and obvious as the safety net that had served to support our state\u2019s most vulnerable individuals and communities continues to unravel. Sadly, many of our human service providers have had no choice but to cut programs or close their doors altogether. And with mounting uncertainty surrounding state and federal funding, those troubles are only likely to multiply as we enter the new fiscal year.<\/p>\n At Erie Neighborhood House, we\u2019ve been fortunate to continue providing vital education programs and services to low-income, primarily Latinx families throughout Chicago in the midst of the storm.<\/p>\n But it hasn\u2019t been without struggle.<\/p>\n If Springfield fails to pass a balanced, fully funded budget, Erie House stands to lose upwards of $1M over the next 12 months\u2014more than 10% of our annual revenue prior to the beginning of the budget impasse in July 2015.<\/p>\n Some of our programs will be forced to proceed short-staffed. Other programs\u2014particularly those serving children and youth, where licensing requirements determine student-to-staff ratios\u2014will experience a decline in enrollment.<\/p>\n There\u2019s an ill-conceived notion that nonprofit organizations should simply do more with less, but we believe our communities deserve better.<\/strong><\/p>\n And what is most confounding about the latter outcome is that investing in children and youth\u2014and the families who support them\u2014is exactly what our state needs to do if we\u2019re truly going to build a better Illinois.<\/p>\n Quality, affordable child care lays a foundation for success in school, at the same time giving parents the opportunity to work, go back to school and achieve a better life for their families. Changes Governor Rauner made in 2015 to income guidelines for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), however, have made it increasingly difficult for low-income families to qualify for such care.<\/p>\n After-school programs offer a safe haven to youth and deliver the academic support they need to graduate from high school and go on to college. Unfortunately, the fate of Teen REACH\u2014the main funding source for programs serving at-risk youth throughout Illinois\u2014is inextricably linked to the state budget.<\/p>\n But our children and youth also feel the effects of cuts to programs for adults as well. When parents don\u2019t have access to education, workforce development, immigration assistance and other support services, their kids lose out, too.<\/p>\n Springfield has let this impasse drag on for far too long. We need a fair, balanced budget now\u2014the future of Illinois depends on it.<\/p>\n Kirstin Chernawsky We are on the verge of entering year three without a fully funded, balanced budget in the state of Illinois. This increasingly likely scenario is hard to swallow, particularly for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":2370,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[40],"class_list":["post-2369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-board"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
Under no circumstances can such a modus operandi<\/em> become normalized. This budget crisis, which has ravaged our state and the victims it leaves in its path, is unacceptable.<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nExecutive Director, Erie Neighborhood House<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"