Who: 50 local clergy and homeless advocates
What: State budget protest and prayer vigil
When: Thursday, Jan. 28 at 11 a.m.
Where: Faith Lutheran Church, 3000 Liberty Street, Aurora
On Thursday, homeless advocates from Hesed House – the second largest homeless emergency shelter in Illinois – will join clergy from Kane, DuPage and Will counties to host a prayer vigil while speaking out on the impact of the state budget impasse.
Religious leaders and homeless advocates will talk about the impact of the state budget impasse, and call on state leaders to raise revenue to avoid further hurting homeless families and children.
Hesed House must turn away at least 50 people every week from its emergency shelter, supportive housing and homeless prevention grant programs due to cutbacks caused by the budget crisis.
Other local impact from the state budget includes:
- Association for Individual Development (AID) has significantly reduced staffing and programming for individuals with physical or developmental disabilities in Kane, Kendall, DeKalb, DuPage, Will and suburban Cook counties.
- Senior Centers, including Rachel’s Place in Aurora, have cut staff or closed their facilities.
- Public transportation routes have been combined or eliminated, forcing people who are homeless, elderly and disabled to walk farther to find bus stops, making it more difficult to get to work, shelters, or take children to school.
Hesed House plans to bring 50 staff and homeless clients to Springfield on Jan. 27, joining with 500 people to protest the devastating impact of the budget impasse on human services statewide.
Participating groups include: Alpha Missionary Baptist Church, Faith Lutheran Church, Love Fellowship Baptist Church, Oswego Presbyterian Church, St. Mary Catholic Church, St. Nicholas Catholic Church, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Trinity Church of the Nazarene
For more information, contact Jim Picchetti, senior organizer of CCH’s Statewide Network.