Social Service Providers Meet At Rainbow PUSH As State Budget Impasse Enters Fifth Month
(CBS) -- Illinois is now in its fifth month without a state budget, and no solution to the impasse appears close. The continuing impasse has providers who met Saturday at Rainbow/PUSH headquarters worried for themselves and for those they serve.
The providers and advocates said agencies providing a host of services are affected – everything from autism care and after-school programs to rape prevention and assistance to the victims of violent crimes.
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Bobbie Wright Comprehensive Behavioral Center President/CEO Dr. Rashad Saafir said Wright is open now only because workers and vendors are accepting delayed partial payments.
"They can only sustain it for so long," he said. "And if you're talking about going into January, February or March, I don't know that we can stand it that long."
Others voiced similar fears.
"Now we're looking at a situation where payrolls are delayed, vendors are waiting for payment It's been a very difficult any type of business with this cash flow crunch," said Donald Dew, president/CEO of Habilitative Services, which does business on the city's west and south sides.
For some social service agencies it's already too late, said Michael Holmes, who heads the state's African-American Family Commission.
"For some agencies we're finding that they can no longer sustain their programs," he said. "They've already maxed out their line of credit. They've already used their reserves. They've laid off most of their staff, so there's nothing more for them to do than close their doors."
Former State Public Health Director Dr. Damon Arnold said there is another danger. He said if Illinois falls out of line for federal grants because of the inability to match federal funds, it may be
difficult to get that funding back, even if the state pleads that it was trying to get its fiscal house in order.
"Within these federal agencies, they look at that the next time you apply for a grant and they say, 'Were they able to do what they supposed to do before?'" he said.
On Friday, Gov. Bruce Rauner used his amendatory veto powers to make cuts in the institutional care available from the state to seniors.
