WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH THREE IMPORTANT ADVOCACY ACTIONS!

DSP Wage Increases, The Living Room - Aurora and The Elgin Unsheltered Project

Illinois Made a Promise - It’ s Time to Keep It!
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families rely on Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) every day. DSPs help people with IDD live safely, independently and with dignity.

Support Governor’s proposed $0.60/hour DSP wage increase

The state-commissioned Guidehouse Rate Study recommends that Direct Support Professional (DSP) wages be set at least 150% above minimum wage, requiring a $1.20 per hour increase statewide to meet that goal. We appreciate the Governor’s Administration’s commitment to implementing this recommendation through a proposed $0.60 per hour increase in FY2027 and a pledge for the remaining $0.60 increase in FY2028.

Now, lawmakers must ensure IDD providers have the flexibility to apply these wage increases in the ways that best support DSP hiring, retention, and staffing stability. Your advocacy can help strengthen the workforce and protect critical services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

PROTECT MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS SUPPORT

Illinois lawmakers are finalizing the state budget, and we need your help to protect critical mental health crisis services.

AID is urging legislators to include $1.6 million in funding for The Living Room in Aurora: a FREE, 24/7 mental health crisis support program that provides compassionate care in a safe, home-like setting.

The Living Room gives adults experiencing a mental health crisis a place to stabilize, connect with trained support staff, develop safety plans, and access additional resources, often helping individuals avoid hospitalization.

This service is available to everyone, regardless of insurance or ability to pay, but continued funding is essential. Please contact your Illinois legislators today and ask them to support $1.6 million for The Living Room in the FY27 state budget.

CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS!
Message when calling: We are gravely concerned that the Aurora area will lose funding for the 24-hour a day Living Room program that supports people in behavioral health crises due to a technical issue with the AID FY27 application. This would be a tragic loss for the second largest city in Illinois. $1.6M are needed in the state budget to ensure that these vital services don’t disappear.

WE ONLY HAVE A FEW DAYS LEFT TO STOP A $10 MILLION CUT TO THE HOME ILLINOIS PROGRAM!

The FY27 state budget negotiations are entering their final days, and critical funding for HOME Illinois — including $1 million for the Elgin Unsheltered Project — is on the line.

Governor Pritzker’s proposed budget would cut an additional $11.4 million from homeless services after last year’s $27 million reduction. At the same time, federal housing programs are facing major threats, making state investment more important than ever.

HOME Illinois is working. In FY25, the program helped shelter more than 37,000 people, prevented eviction for 8,600 households, and supported more than 3,000 new Permanent Supportive Housing units statewide. The proposed $1 million investment for the Elgin Unsheltered Project would provide critical support and housing solutions for individuals experiencing homelessness in our community.

Illinois cannot afford to move backward. We must protect and strengthen investments that keep people housed, safe, and supported.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!