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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, 211 Illinois is a free, anonymous, and
3confidential Illinois-based human services, emergency
4preparedness, and response helpline that is available on a
524-hour basis and provides live assistance referrals for basic
6needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, counseling, income
7supports, employment, healthcare, and services for specialized
8populations, including the elderly and persons with
9disabilities; and
 
10    WHEREAS, 211 Illinois exists to connect individuals and
11families experiencing poverty and/or economic hardship to
12supportive resources for basic needs and to increase access to
13early intervention and services that demonstrably reduce child
14maltreatment and child welfare involvement; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Individuals who have children and who experience
16poverty and multiple types of economic and material hardships
17are three times more likely to be investigated for neglect,
18four times more likely to be involved in a child protection
19investigation, and seven times more likely to be investigated
20for physical abuse; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Between FY2021 and FY2022, the 211 Illinois
22hotline received 98,046 calls and texts and connected over

 

 

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150,000 individuals and families with housing and shelter
2support and heating and electric utility assistance services;
3and
 
4    WHEREAS, Through 2022, 64% of Illinois residents lacked
5access to 211 Illinois services in their area; and
 
6    WHEREAS, 211 Illinois is a collaborative effort of
7multiple United Ways, state departments, including the
8Department of Human Services and the Department of Public
9Health, and existing 211 Illinois Contact Centers to provide a
10powerful, successful example of the public, not-for-profit,
11and private sectors working together to improve the quality of
12life for the individuals and families of Illinois; and
 
13    WHEREAS, When available, 211 Illinois data can be used to
14identify gaps in the availability of service providers and
15resources and to illuminate inequitable access to these
16services; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The 211 Illinois online dashboard, currently
18under development, will provide transparent and readily
19accessible disaggregated data on statewide service utilization
20and service provider gaps; therefore, be it
 
21    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL

 

 

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1ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF
2REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recognize that
3there is a dire need for statewide expansion of 211 Illinois
4services to prevent Illinois individuals and families who are
5experiencing poverty and/or financial hardship from requiring
6child welfare system involvement; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That we recognize the importance of supportive
8funding for services that promote child and family well-being
9and prevent children from entering the child welfare system;
10and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That we urge state agencies serving children and
12families to utilize data generated by the 211 Illinois online
13dashboard to identify gaps in services and to develop
14resources and services to fill the identified gaps; and be it
15further
 
16    RESOLVED, That we recognize that state funding is
17necessary to adequately support the expansion and maintenance
18of 211 Illinois statewide and the community-based
19organizations that ultimately provide the supportive services
20to the individuals, families, and children of Illinois; and be
21it further
 
22    RESOLVED, That we urge support for prioritizing funding

 

 

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1efforts dedicated to preventing the need for child welfare
2related services in counties that have been identified as
3experiencing gaps in offered services based on data collected
4from 211 Illinois.