A local Congressman is hoping to bring awareness to a Peoria charity’s work. Republican Aaron Schock Wednesday toured the Dream Center, and got an update on the many programs it offers to help those in need. Schock says it’s important to highlight organizations making a difference in the community.
“A lot of times folks will go on mission trips around the world which are important, but there’s people right here in our own community who are suffering. And so, Matt and his team here at the Dream Center help fill that need, but they need the community to help them do that.”
The not-for-profit organization offers two programs that help keep families off the street. They are mostly funded through grants. Executive Director Matt Larson says the organization is asking for at least one-thousand people to adopt an apartment at the facility.
“The potential for the funding that we have for housing to go away in the next year to two years is very realistic. And we don’t want to find ourselves in the situation where we have to make a decision of closing our homeless shelter and transitional housing.”
Congressman Schock says he also sponsored legislation that makes permanent a measure allowing tax-free contributions to charitable organizations from individual retirement accounts. That bill recently passed the House.