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Public Affairs coverage from our award-winning staff |
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Illinois Budget Leaves Future of Human Services Up in the Air
Produced by Tony Arnold on Thursday, July 16, 2009
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WBEZ File/Chip Mitchell |
After months of political bickering, Illinois legislators have approved a budget. But that doesn't mean human service agencies around the state are in the clear financially.
When Illinois' fiscal year ended about two weeks ago without a budget in place, human services braced for the worst. Many relied on lines of credit to get through the uncertainty. And some, like the Community Counseling Centers of Chicago, cancelled programs and laid off staff. Bruce Seitzer is the clinical director there. He says the new budget cuts funding for human services about ten percent. He says that could put an extra burden on patients.
SEITZER: Somehow they're gonna have to get care. When I think about how that's going to happen if there's not funding to support them, it just makes me uncomfortable to put it mildly.
Seitzer says his organization is now looking to restore some staff and possibly bring back the psychiatric programs cut last month. Meantime, many other human service agencies around Chicago say their layoffs are permanent.
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