SJ0030 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0030 LRB103 31370 ECR 58967 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, 211 Illinois is a free, anonymous, and confidential Illinois-based human services, emergency preparedness, and response helpline that is available on a 24-hour basis and provides live assistance referrals for basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, counseling, income supports, employment, healthcare, and services for specialized populations, including the elderly and persons with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, 211 Illinois exists to connect individuals and families experiencing poverty and/or economic hardship to supportive resources for basic needs and to increase access to early intervention and services that demonstrably reduce child maltreatment and child welfare involvement; and

WHEREAS, Individuals who have children and who experience poverty and multiple types of economic and material hardships are three times more likely to be investigated for neglect, four times more likely to be involved in a child protection investigation, and seven times more likely to be investigated for physical abuse; and

WHEREAS, Between FY2021 and FY2022, the 211 Illinois hotline received 98,046 calls and texts and connected over 50,000 individuals and families with housing and shelter support and heating and electric utility assistance services; and

WHEREAS, Through 2022, 64% of Illinois residents lacked access to 211 Illinois services in their area; and

WHEREAS, 211 Illinois is a collaborative effort of multiple United Ways, state departments, including the Department of Human Services and the Department of Public Health, and existing 211 Illinois Contact Centers to provide a powerful, successful example of the public, not-for-profit, and private sectors working together to improve the quality of life for the individuals and families of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, When available, 211 Illinois data can be used to identify gaps in the availability of service providers and resources and to illuminate inequitable access to these services; and

WHEREAS, The 211 Illinois online dashboard, currently under development, will provide transparent and readily accessible disaggregated data on statewide service utilization and service provider gaps; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recognize that there is a dire need for statewide expansion of 211 Illinois services to prevent Illinois individuals and families who are experiencing poverty and/or financial hardship from requiring child welfare system involvement; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we recognize the importance of supportive funding for services that promote child and family well-being and prevent children from entering the child welfare system; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge state agencies serving children and families to utilize data generated by the 211 Illinois online dashboard to identify gaps in services and to develop resources and services to fill the identified gaps; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we recognize that state funding is necessary to adequately support the expansion and maintenance of 211 Illinois statewide and the community-based organizations that ultimately provide the supportive services to the individuals, families, and children of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge support for prioritizing funding efforts dedicated to preventing the need for child welfare related services in counties that have been identified as experiencing gaps in offered services based on data collected from 211 Illinois.