The state of affairs across Southern Illinois is dire – especially for those who are hungry, homeless, struggling with substance abuse or need affordable child care.
On May 11, The Salvation Army sent a delegation of officers and staff from across the state to meet with state legislators and Governor Rauner to raise awareness about how the 11-month-long budget stalemate has increased human needs, negatively impacted those whom we serve and stretched our resources nearly to a challenging point. We also went to Springfield to voice our support for a resolution to end this impasse.
Partisan ideologies should not have a negative impact on those who need help the most. The General Assembly has acted and now the governor must do the same, as the current lack of state reimbursement dollars will not allow us to sustain these services at our present levels for much longer. While Senate Bill 2038, the recent emergency payment legislation, may meet a fraction of those needs on a temporary basis, other critical services will continue to go unfunded. People in desperate need cannot wait.
The Salvation Army is the largest provider of social services worldwide and one of the largest in Illinois. We have relied on our emergency reserves so far to meet the ever increasing needs and absence of state funding, but we are not able to do this on a continual basis.
Many other nonprofits have already resorted to cutting staff, reducing or eliminating programs, even closing their doors. The people they used to serve are now joining the lines for our food trucks, visiting our pantries, and seeking our help with substance abuse treatment.
We beseech Governor Rauner and the General Assembly to work together in good conscience and faith, to act now on this emergency legislation and move forward, in order to pass a sound and balanced budget that restores funding for human services and helps to stabilize those most in need.
