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For Immediate Release
Contact: Lauren Wright, [email protected]
CHICAGO, IL -- In response to today’s Budget Address, Illinois Partners for Human Service recognizes and appreciates the priorities outlined in this budget for the health and human services sector. In particular, we applaud the investments in Smart Start, Homeless Services, and the commitment to continued funding for new arrivals. We commend the Governor and his administration for celebrating the importance of health and human service work and the workers employed by the state, but are disappointed in his failure to acknowledge the thousands of frontline workers from community-based service providers in his remarks, especially since the vast majority work for organizations contracted by the state.
Our coalition partners are among these invaluable providers, working tirelessly on the frontlines every day caring for our communities. Unfortunately, state contracts and reimbursement rates continue to lag behind, failing to cover the full cost of delivering essential services. As a result, our community-based workforce continues to be undervalued, overworked, and underpaid. While the Governor did laud the impact of these services on lives throughout Illinois, he did not address how we will sustain the sector for community-based providers and support our workforce, the majority of whom are women and people of color. We must commit to rectifying the consequences of twenty years of the state’s chronic disinvestment of health and human services - bold actions and long-term funding solutions must be a priority for decision makers.
We look forward to working with the administration and our legislators to do everything possible to find these solutions, increase investment in the community-based human services workforce, and reduce administrative burden for community providers. These organizations are valued and integral to their communities, and their work is essential to the well-being of all Illinoisans.
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Illinois Partners is the largest shared voice of human service organizations across the state with coalition partners in every county and legislative district. Illinois Partners focuses on collective advocacy to protect funding and fair policies for human services so that all Illinois residents can reach their potential and fully engage in our communities.
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