Human Service agencies in Central Illinois are calling on the state leaders to put aside their differences and put a budget in place. 15 nonprofit groups united in Peoria to say the vulnerable people they serve are at risk, and so are their employees.
Matt George is the CEO of the Children’s Home and spoke for the group. “Our communities need this and we need our state budget put to bed. We need this now! People are in pain!”
George says the group is speaking for people whose voices cannot be heard and don’t have a platform to do it. “It’s about people living in a safe environment. Nobody likes to bring up safety. But it’s an issue! And once something bad happens it can’t be rewound.“
The state is approaching 70 days operating without a budget. Most human service agencies have accessed reserve funds and many are using lines of credit to continue operations. But that resource is drying up because banks are becoming less willing to lend anymore to agencies that depend on state funding.