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1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The stability of the human services workforce is
3 in crisis due to insufficient reimbursement rates, inadequate
4 state contracts, a constrained de minimis rate cap that is not
5 reflective of the actual cost of overhead expenses, and
6 burdensome reporting requirements; and
7 WHEREAS, State funding for human services in Illinois,
8 expressed as a percentage of the General Revenue Fund, is 25%
9 less than it was 27 years ago, representing chronically
10 underfunded state contracts amidst increasing demands for
11 services, high caseloads, increasing costs of delivering
12 services and inflation, resulting in a waning, overworked and
13 underpaid workforce; and
14 WHEREAS, The provision of human services in Illinois and
15 across the nation is under attack, and the livelihood of more
16 than 350,000 workers in the sector and the millions of the
17 people to whom they provide services hangs in the balance
18 amidst a blatant devaluing of this work by the federal
19 government; and
20 WHEREAS, The pipeline of people entering the human
21 services sector has been decreasing, and people currently
22 working at community-based organizations are leaving the
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1 workforce because of consistently low pay, lack of fully
2 covered health benefits, and high student loan debt burden
3 when many positions require bachelor's degrees and
4 professional licenses; and
5 WHEREAS, Systemic racism and sexism in care-centric work
6 are exacerbated by state contracts' inadequacy to pay the
7 people who make up the bulk of this workforce, mainly Black,
8 Latin, and Women workers, living wages, so much so that based
9 on IL Partners' research, 92% of single-income households with
10 children, the majority of which are women, do not earn a living
11 wage; and
12 WHEREAS, There are still significant barriers for
13 organizations with Black and/or Latin leadership and
14 organizations with budgets under $5M in accessing state
15 funding and contracts, which exacerbates problems with
16 community trust and service delivery when leadership of
17 service providers lacks diversity; and
18 WHEREAS, The State values work differently based on where
19 it is performed, as frontline human services workers at
20 community-based organizations make significantly less than
21 employees at state agencies doing similar work; and
22 WHEREAS, Human services are an essential part of a robust
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1 economy and thriving communities, ensuring that people are
2 healthy, stable, and able to work; and
3 WHEREAS, Human service organizations do the State's work
4 by preventing hospitalizations and providing life-saving
5 support within the following services, including, but not
6 limited to, childcare, food security, housing, mental health,
7 substance use and prevention support, care for people with
8 disabilities, care for older adults and youth, support for
9 immigrants and returning citizens, job training and workforce
10 development, violence prevention, legal aid, interpreters, and
11 healthcare for historically marginalized populations; and
12 WHEREAS, The human service workforce is highly skilled and
13 educated, as shown in Illinois Partners for Human Service's
14 "Worker Well-Being is Community Well-Being" report that
15 reveals that among the more than 850 workers surveyed, more
16 than 70% have at least a bachelor's degree and yet more than
17 64% self-reported not earning enough to make a living wage;
18 therefore, be it
19 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
20 HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
21 we urge the State to increase reimbursement rates, state
22 grants and contracts, and the minimum overhead allowance to
23 meet the rising costs of providing essential human services in
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1 Illinois and to support the workers who deliver those
2 services; and be it further
3 RESOLVED, That funding from State agencies should enable
4 human service employers to provide their workers a thrivable
5 wage with annual cost-of-living adjustments without having to
6 increase caseloads, forgo filling vacancies, or provide fewer
7 services; and be it further
8 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
9 delivered to the Governor, the Speaker of the House, the House
10 Minority Leader, the President of the Senate, the Senate
11 Minority Leader, and to the heads of the Department of Human
12 Services, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services,
13 the Department of Children and Family Services, Department of
14 Early Childhood, Department of Juvenile Justice, Department on
15 Aging, Department of Public Health, Department of Veteran
16 Affairs, Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the
17 the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, and the
18 Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission.
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