Say No to Any Budget Cut over 8% to Social and Human Services in Illinois

Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois has proposed a budget for the state that will result in cuts of 20-50% for social and human service programs. These cuts will affect the population of developmentally disabled adults and children in the state, resulting in the closing of many community residential facilities, day training sites, closing of workshops, and community services which allow them to live independently. These cuts will ultimately result in many individuals becoming either homeless or warehoused in a large institution.

The cuts not only affect their livelihood, but also impact the employees that work at these facilities, workshops, day training sites, case management, etc. These people will lose their jobs, impacting entire households and furthering the burden on the unemployment and welfare programs of this state. Furthermore, the closing of these facilities, workshops, day trainings will be detrimental to the small communities these facilities reside.

The income and spending of these facilities will no longer occur at the local gas station, grocery store, McDonald's, etc. Everyone will lose if these cuts go into effect.

These facilities are already struggling to stay afloat because the state is 6 + months behind on paying their reimbursement rates. These facilities have to borrow from banks to stay afloat, therfore incurring huge interest charges that they will not be reimbursed. Last year the state failed for months to make payments to these facilities, and then suddenly paid up the back payments in December (just in time to be taxed).

Illinois citizens are tired of the government manipulations, games, ridiculous pork projects that are attached to human lives and welfare of our communities.