ILLINOIS BUSINESS, LABOR LEADERS, SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES CALLING FOR END TO BUDGET STALEMATE

United Way of Metropolitan Chicago held a press conference on Monday, October 19, 2015 with labor and business leaders to ask for an end to the budget stalemate.

The United Way of Metropolitan Chicago announced the results of a statewide survey focusing on the Illinois budget crisis. Of 544 human service providers across the state:

 

•             84% of respondents have cut the number of clients they serve (up from 34% in July)

•             79% of respondents have cut programs, most impacting children and working adults

 

Survey findings also highlight the measures that human service agencies reported taking to maintain operations and serve clients during the stalemate.

 

•             31% of respondents have one month or less of cash reserves (8% of agencies have already utilized their full cash reserves)

•             25% of agencies have tapped into lines of credit, and of those, 58% are more than $50,000 in debt as a result of the impasse

•             22% of agencies have been forced to layoff staff

 

The United Way had previously done a human service survey in July, and this is the follow up survey. Clearly, our state budget crisis is deepening in ways that are bad for Illinois.

 

To read the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago press release: CLICK HERE