Agencies prepare to close
A grim headline for a grim story in today’s Herald. No one can say they weren’t warned-
“Social service providers across Illinois have warned for months that unless the state started paying its bills, the day would come when agencies would be forced to lay off workers en masse, or worse, close their doors for good. As 2009 ends, that day has come – or is fast approaching – for countless programs that rely on state money.
The problem is affecting all kinds of service providers, from groups that serve meals to the homeless or elderly, to drug and alcohol counseling and prevention, to child and adult day care. The number of closures is hard to come by, but most providers know at least one agency that’s preparing to shut down by the end of the year.
“They’re going to be falling like dominoes very soon,” said Don Moss, coordinator of the Illinois Human Services Coalition….Illinois is millions of dollars behind in making payments, and many groups haven’t been paid by the state since the fiscal year began in July, a situation that longtime providers said is unprecedented. They’ve gotten used to building their annual budgets around state funding and have been blindsided by the delays.”
Grim, gruesome, terrifying- you pick the adjective….Read it and weep here.
December 23 2009 03:23 pm | In the news and Programs