Feb. 14 – Governor Rauner’s proposed budget fails on multiple levels. Proposing $400 million in reduction to human services including reductions to supportive housing, mental health and substance use treatment, only serves to further weaken the infrastructure that Illinois needs so its residents can meet their full potential. In addition, his proposed $228 million cut to the Chicago Public Schools will undermine supports needed to serve the over 18,000 students experiencing homelessness in Chicago’s schools.
People experiencing homelessness are left out of the governor’s vision for Illinois. His approach to human service is one that sidelines thousands of Illinoisans that have and want to continue contributing to making our state stronger. You cannot grow Illinois without contributing to the well-being of people experiencing homelessness and ensuring there is adequate funding in the budget to not only maintain current funding, but grow it to meet need.
When the governor speaks of reform, he fails to talk about tax reform. Reducing the state’s revenue through an income tax reduction is a step backwards. We encourage the governor and members of the legislature to support a fair tax that will both remove the regressive tax structure we have in place and increase Illinois’ revenue to invest in the people of Illinois. Chicago Coalition for the Homeless will fight for these investments through the implementation of a fair tax and against the proposed regressive cuts that only serve to hurt Illinoisans.