One social service agency’s entire vocational program may be wiped out if the state’s proposed budget cuts in human/social services is approved.
One social service agency’s entire vocational program may be wiped out if the state’s proposed budget cuts in human/social services is approved. As Illinois faces a deficit of about $13 billion, Gov. Pat Quinn proposed $2.2 billion in spending cuts, including $150 million to human services that provide child- and adult-care services for those in need. If that happens, many of its clients may go back to living in state facilities, some parents will have to dole out funds to pay for day care and some clients may end up in the criminal justice system, according to George Jones Jr. of Ada S. McKinley Community Services Inc. He explained that with Ada S. McKinley, which provides childcare, mental health, foster care and adoption and vocational training, among other services, up to $5 million would be at stake if the budget passes. “We’re trying to gauge the overall impact the cuts will have on us if it passes. Our clients just won’t be served and it’ll have a tremendous affect on them and their families. No one wins when a budget is slashed,” Jones, the agency’s executive director, told the Defender. At stake is primarily all of the funding – $3 million to $5 million – for the agency’s vocational programs that help with job skills and placement; 42 percent of the funding for its mental health programs and nearly 3 percent for the remainder of the services it provides. “You try to develop quality programs and the state just constantly cuts. They want us to do more with less and that’s just not possible. If we can’t serve our clients, many will have to go back in state facilities because their families may not be able to pay for care for them while they’re at work. Worse, some may end up in the criminal justice system. This will have a huge impact,” Jones said. With reduced funding, a layoff is almost certain, he added, which will increase the unemployment roll for Illinois. Ada S. McKinley is not alone in the budget squeeze. The Ounce of Prevention Fund, an early childhood education advocacy organization, said 16 percent of their funding for early childhood programs is on the line. Ounce of Prevention Fund receives the Early Childhood Block Grant, which funds programs for preschool, including education prior to the preschool years. The proposed budget cuts will chomp the grant’s funding by $55 million, said Diana Rauner, the organization’s executive director. “We’re talking about cutting programs that were already struggling. Many of the agencies we partner with across the state have already experienced cuts and delayed payments from the state. The late payments are killing the programs and making it less likely for the agencies to meet their payroll demands. When that happens, the cuts then will reverberate across the landscape. No cushion is then left for us,” said Rauner. She said the organization serves many teenaged and young mothers and their families who are reluctant to put their faith in some organizations. Funding programs for ages birth to 5 years old as part of the educational system is the best way to maximize taxpayers’ investments in education. But if the cuts are approved, disadvantaged children who don’t participate in quality preschool and other early education programs are 50 percent more likely to be placed in special education and 25 percent more likely to drop out of school, said Rauner. “They are the least likely to trust an institution and if we don’t have the funding for our programs and have to pull back, we just may lose them. That’s something we can’t afford,” she said. The Court Appointed Special Advocates of Cook County, a non-profit organization that trains volunteers to work with foster children, said while they don’t receive state funding, they feel the sting from the budget cuts. The organization’s volunteers spend time with the children, attend their court appointments and maintain contact with attorney’s representing the children’s interest, among other things. “Because we provide services to several agencies throughout the county who rely on state money, when their funds are cut, we get extra referrals and have to dip into our reserves,” said Lanetta Haynes, executive director of CASA, which is funded primarily by private foundations, individuals and holding special events. To help stave off the cuts, Rauner said a short-term solution may be the proposed income tax hike. But long term, “We need some real reform, real leadership,” Rauner replied.
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