Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SR0123

SR0123 LRB104 12430 MST 22739 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The stability of the human services workforce is in crisis due to insufficient reimbursement rates, inadequate state contracts, a constrained de minimis rate cap that is not reflective of the actual cost of overhead expenses, and burdensome reporting requirements; and

WHEREAS, State funding for human services in Illinois, expressed as a percentage of the General Revenue Fund, is 25% less than it was 27 years ago, representing chronically underfunded state contracts amidst increasing demands for services, high caseloads, increasing costs of delivering services and inflation, resulting in a waning, overworked and underpaid workforce; and

WHEREAS, The provision of human services in Illinois and across the nation is under attack, and the livelihood of more than 350,000 workers in the sector and the millions of the people to whom they provide services hangs in the balance amidst a blatant devaluing of this work by the federal government; and

WHEREAS, The pipeline of people entering the human services sector has been decreasing, and people currently working at community-based organizations are leaving the workforce because of consistently low pay, lack of fully covered health benefits, and high student loan debt burden when many positions require bachelor's degrees and professional licenses; and

WHEREAS, Systemic racism and sexism in care-centric work are exacerbated by state contracts' inadequacy to pay the people who make up the bulk of this workforce, mainly Black, Latiné, and Women workers, living wages, so much so that based on IL Partners' research, 92% of single-income households with children, the majority of which are women, do not earn a living wage; and

WHEREAS, There are still significant barriers for organizations with Black and/or Latiné leadership and organizations with budgets under $5M in accessing state funding and contracts, which exacerbates problems with community trust and service delivery when leadership of service providers lacks diversity; and

WHEREAS, The State values work differently based on where it is performed, as frontline human services workers at community-based organizations make significantly less than employees at state agencies doing similar work; and

WHEREAS, Human services are an essential part of a robust economy and thriving communities, ensuring that people are healthy, stable, and able to work; and

WHEREAS, Human service organizations do the State's work by preventing hospitalizations and providing life-saving support within the following services, including, but not limited to, childcare, food security, housing, mental health, substance use and prevention support, care for people with disabilities, care for older adults and youth, support for immigrants and returning citizens, job training and workforce development, violence prevention, legal aid, interpreters, and healthcare for historically marginalized populations; and

WHEREAS, The human service workforce is highly skilled and educated, as shown in Illinois Partners for Human Service's "Worker Well-Being is Community Well-Being" report that reveals that among the more than 850 workers surveyed, more than 70% have at least a bachelor's degree and yet more than 64% self-reported not earning enough to make a living wage; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the State to increase reimbursement rates, state grants and contracts, and the minimum overhead allowance to meet the rising costs of providing essential human services in Illinois and to support the workers who deliver those services; and be it further

RESOLVED, That funding from State agencies should enable human service employers to provide their workers a thrivable wage with annual cost-of-living adjustments without having to increase caseloads, forgo filling vacancies, or provide fewer services; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Governor, the Speaker of the House, the House Minority Leader, the President of the Senate, the Senate Minority Leader, and to the heads of the Department of Human Services, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the Department of Children and Family Services, Department of Early Childhood, Department of Juvenile Justice, Department on Aging, Department of Public Health, Department of Veteran Affairs, Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, and the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission.