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Monday, February 8, 2016

Northwestern Illinois Center for Independent Living closing Oregon office due Illinois Budget Impasse

Feb 8, 2016 -- Northwestern Illinois Center for Independent Living (NICIL) has announced the closure of their branch office located in Oregon, IL. The Oregon office will officially close on March 1, 2016.
“It is with great sadness that we find it necessary to close this office due to the State of Illinois budget impasse. It is one more loss for people with disabilities due to political jockeying,” said NICIL Executive Director, Michele Miller.
The NICIL Oregon office is located in the Rock River Center at 810 S. 10th St. in Oregon. Staff will be available to serve customers until March 1 at that location. The NICIL central office in Sterling will remain open. 

“I assure you there will be no loss of services to NICIL consumers in the five (5) counties that we serve,” Miller said.

Like many social service agencies in Illinois, NICIL has been swimming hard against the tide of uncertainty and lack of funding. 

“This is not a decision that the Board of Directors has come to lightly," said NICIL Board President Mary Mahan-Deatherage. "We have been monitoring this situation for more than a year. Michele and her staff have worked diligently and economically to keep services at their maximum level.

“Due to the budget impasse, even with our most creative and frugal budgeting efforts the dam is breaking and sadly NICIL is floundering.”

NICIL opened in 1985 and has continued without interruption to serve people with disabilities and their families in Northwestern Illinois counties of: Carroll, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, and Whiteside.

 NICIL’s main office at 412 Locust St., Sterling, remains open and the NICIL team will continue full service to all five (5) counties. Please call NICIL for more information at 815-625-7860 or our website at www.nicil.org.

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