By Dennis Hewitt, Executive Director
July 2, 2009
In my 30+ years of working with agencies that support the needs of the poor, the downtrodden and the out and out needy, I have seen some fairly mean spirited acts committed by officials of Illinois Government. I have followed state government since the Paul Powell shoe box scandal of the 60’s and have been disappointed time and again by irresponsible acts. However never have I been as disillusioned with the powers that be as I have been with the State Legislature’s lack of ability to come to a solution that will create funding for infrastructure, state services and to support drastically needed social services.
Today, I have seen a constant flow of emails advising me of services that will no longer be available to shelter clients. These include mental health services, recovery programs, healthcare, services for the developmentally disabled, children’s early developmental and child care 
programs, services to protect adults, children and seniors from abuse, and education programs for latchkey and disadvantaged children just to name a (not so) few. I am also hearing of plans to close all of the mental health facilities except for the three state forensic units.
Although we are not planning to close our doors at present, if the current budget stands, our ability to serve our shelter guests and outreach to clients would be devastated. We would be faced with a shelter full of clients with a myriad of needs and no way to help them. In partnership with over 60 government and social serices programs, we have been able to reduce the percentage of our chronically homeless clients by almost half (53% to 28%) over the past 4 years. The loss of these partners would result in the complete collapse of a well functioning effort to educate, rehabilitate and reintegrate the area’s poorest and most underserved citizens.
We’ve been lobbying, rallying, and pleading our case to both legislative and executive branches of our state government. We are continuing to do everything that we can do, but we need your help. Please contact those who represent you in Springfield and let them know that you expect representation for children, seniors, the mentally ill and abused that have no voice. They need your support.
Tags: Dennis Hewitt, Elgin, PADS of Elgin, United Way, United Way of Elgin
