Amid the myriad financial problems facing the state of Illinois these days, paying for social services is one more. Both the Courier-News and the Batavia Sun profiled social services in the state - a women and children's domestic violence shelter in Elgin and a senior services group in the Fox Valley, respectively - that depend on state funding to carry out their missions. Both are struggling with covering expenses, including payroll, that the state hasn't paid for since this summer. While the Elgin Community Crisis Center was able to raise about $160,000 through community contributions, Executive Director Gretchen Vapnar knows it won't be enough to keep operating long-term. more ›

State Comptroller Dan Hynes is saying there's still time to save payments to state workers in spite of the fact there's no budget and state lawmakers are waiting until July 14 to return to Springfield, one day before the next checks are scheduled to go out. Hynes says the payroll will be ready to go in case a budget is finalized. In addition, Hynes told WBEZ that social services won't be hurt until later in the summer since money is not immediately delivered, even when the state has a working budget: "If they provided services today, by the time they got their paperwork into the agency and it's submitted to our office, and with the cashflow delays we're having, we're talking several months. So that's why the day-to-day social services don't have a real, hard-and-fast deadline like a payroll does." It's the first time we've heard a "Don't Panic" from a state official, but it's being drowned out by the political posturing of those in charge of putting together the budget. more ›

Following up on our earlier post about the budget crisis facing the state, Gov. Pat Quinn today announced he was vetoing part of the budget that had be presented him by the state assembly. The part Quinn vetoed dealt with social services, calling the fight to hold out for more funding via his budget and tax increases was a "fight worth fighting for." Per the Tribune: more ›

In spite of all the previous secrecy around Mayor Daley's "wishlist" for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, the mayor finally announced plans to spend nearly $20 million in federal funds Wednesday. $2.3 million of the federal funds will be used to prevent the closing of four mental health clinics in the city. The rest of the funding will go to help the unemployed, homeless, poor workers and military veterans access social services that track people into job training and placement, as well as substance abuse programs. Nearly $2 million will go to support small businesses with hiring. more ›

Battered women's activists, already facing cuts in federal funding to domestic-violence services, are opposing a Daley-backed plan to consolidate the city's Office of Domestic Violence into an enlarged Human Services Department. Daley wants to fold social services, prisoner re-entry and homeless assistance programs into a single city department, arguing last week that there is "considerable overlap" among social service programs. "This consolidation will help the city provide a more holistic, client-centered approach to the services we provide to our most vulnerable residents," he told the Sun Times. more ›