Illinois State Budget Impasse Forces Two Programs for At-Risk to be Reduced and Youth Shelter to Temporarily Close

Vienna, Illinois, February 18, 2016—Family Counseling Center, Inc. is saddened to announce that services provided by two of their state funded programs geared towards at-risk youth will be reduced at the end of February due to lack of state funding as a result of the continued Illinois state budget impasse.

Homeless Youth (HY), a program designed to increase the safety, well-being, and self-sufficiency of homeless youth ages 14-24 in the state of Illinois is among the programs impacted. Through the provision of goods and services aimed to address the immediate needs of youth, including emergency shelter and transitional living placements, the program served to assist homeless youth in the transition to independent living. The HY program has been specifically targeted for elimination of funding over the course of the past year despite the growing need for services to address Illinois’ homeless youth population. There are an estimated 25,000 youth in Illinois who are homeless and without family, and due to an already thin amount of funding provided for homeless youth programming, 93%
of those youth are unable to access services.

In January of 2015, Family Counseling Center, Inc. opened a transitional living facility, Mahoney Transitional Living, located in Rosiclare as part of the HY program serving the Southern 7 counties. Since it’s inception, Family Counseling Center, Inc.’s homeless youth program has served a total of 15 youth, 11 of which received emergency shelter or transitional living placement at Mahoney Transitional Living. Unfortunately due to the continued state budget crisis and lack of state funds received, Family Counseling Center, Inc. has been forced to temporarily close Mahoney Transitional Living, effective February 14, 2016.

In addition to the HY program, Comprehensive Community Based Youth Services (CCBYS), a child welfare/juvenile justice system diversion program for youth ages 10-17 that offers 24 hour crisis intervention services, temporary living arrangements, counseling, advocacy, linkage and referral, and other services aimed to preserve families, is also set to reduce it’s outpatient services beginning on March 1, 2016. Nearly 7,000 youth were served by CCBYS statewide in 2014 and despite previous funding cuts to the program,CCBYS providers have been successful in reuniting 90% of these youth with their families or finding a safe alternative placement.

Family Counseling Center, Inc. will be transitioning these youth into alternative agency services, where possible, and will maintain the 24/7 crisis hotline for the CCBYS and HY programs in which families, communities, and local stakeholders may call for assistance with youth who are homeless, refuse to return home, or have been locked out by their families even though the agency is not currently being reimbursed.

Family Counseling Center, Inc. continues to be dedicated in providing quality and needed services to the community in which we serve. During this transition, we appreciate your patience and understanding in advance and we ask for cooperation from the local child welfare agencies, police and sheriff departments. We urge our clients, community members, and stakeholders to reach out to our state legislators regarding the detrimental impact of the continued state budget crisis on our local communities. It is our hope that a responsible budget will soon be passed which allows for these two programs and Mahoney Transitional Living to operate as they are intended to do and serve our most vulnerable youth.