Central Illinois nonprofits say now is the time to invest in, not undercut, social services.
There's $200 million on the chopping block for health and human services, as Gov. JB Pritzker tries to balance the state's budget in the wake of the failed graduated income tax amendment. It’s part of alarger blueprint to cut $700 million in state spending.
Human service providers say they understand the difficult financial position the state is in, but urge caution in cutting funding for programs that help everyone—especially low-income communities.
Holly Ambuehl is with Illinois Partners for Human Service. The advocacy nonprofit recently sent a letter to Pritzker expressing the concerns of the group that represents more than 800 human service providers around the state, including dozens in McLean and Peoria counties.
“Nonprofits are kind of still reeling, or having PTSD from the last budget impasse,” Ambuehl said. “We’ve kind of recovered from that mentally—and then COVID struck.”
Ambuehl said human service providers are struggling because of lost revenue from fundraising events that would usually provide unrestricted funding, ramping up unbudgeted costs for things like sanitation, and more unemployment and sick claims from employees. These are all things employers in the for-profit sector are dealing with, she said, without the same income streams.
Ambuehl said many nonprofits don't qualify for the aid that’s been made available to businesses during the pandemic. Most rely on doing business with the state, she said.
“The reality is this isn't the right time to dismantle our human services infrastructure," she said. "People in our communities need what they offer more than ever, and we're going to need them to be strong and stable as we rebuild after the storm that we're in. So we want to start that conversation now.”
Almost half of Illinois human service employers reported being worse off financially going into 2021, according to a survey conducted by Illinois Partners for Human Service.
Ambuehl said it’s easy to take for granted what these organizations do until you’re affected in some way. She said that’s important to keep in mind as state legislators consider tax increases to offset detrimental budget cuts.
“At some point in our lives, almost every person will have to interface with a human service type organization, whether it's for a young child that has some sort of developmental delay ... or an aging parents that needs help at home or a teenager that's struggling with some sort of substance use,” she said.
Some agencies and programs completely closed after the last budget impasse, Ambuehl said. Others survived, but not without damage.
Illinois Partners for Human Services is asking the Pritzker administration to work with nonprofits to find structural solutions that protect vital services amid difficult times.
To read the letter, visit this link.
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