HR0780 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0780 LRB103 40585 MST 73185 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Immigrant Family Resource Program (IFRP) is a partnership among the Illinois Department of Human Services, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and 65 partnering community organizations throughout our State; and

WHEREAS, IFRP connects immigrant and refugee families to valuable services, including case management, public benefits, translation, interpretation, and financial assistance, as they move toward economic self-sufficiency; and

WHEREAS, IFRP serves the full diversity of our State's immigrant and refugee population, providing assistance in 59 languages, including Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Pashto, Ukrainian, Burmese, French, and more; and

WHEREAS, IFRP assists over 20,000 immigrants and refugees each year; and

WHEREAS, IFRP began in 1999 as a state initiative responding to confusion and lack of information in the midst of federal cuts to public benefit eligibility for thousands of immigrants who are lawfully present in the United States but had not yet become U.S. citizens; and

WHEREAS, IFRP has provided crucial outreach, education, and application assistance for immigrants and refugees amid often confusing policy changes regarding health care access, nutritional assistance, income support, and other needs; and

WHEREAS, IFRP has used a successful model of working with community-based partners that immigrant and refugee families often otherwise rely upon and trust for information, education, and support services; and

WHEREAS, IFRP's network has proven nimble and resilient in responding to emerging needs, such as the need for culturally and linguistically accessible programming during the COVID-19 pandemic, the arrival of Syrian refugees in the 2010s, Afghans fleeing Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Ukrainians leaving Ukraine after the Russian invasion in February 2022, and most recently, asylum seekers transported from the southern border since August 2022; and

WHEREAS, IFRP has enjoyed consistent bipartisan support from Republican and Democratic governors and legislators throughout the past 25 years; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Immigrant Family Resource Program for its 25 years of service to our State's immigrant and refugee families in assisting them on their path to self-sufficiency and integration into our State's economy and community; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights as an expression of respect and appreciation for their work.