In recent weeks it has become clear that if the State of Illinois is not able to balance its budget by other means, deep cuts will be made in many areas, particularly in social services. In response to questions regarding potential state budget cuts, APCC has begun to prepare for the possible implications to our agency over the next fiscal year. These impacts, assume a lack of an approved tax-increase and the designation of lump sum budgeting for State Departments. 

PROPOSED STATE REVENUE REDUCTIONS

As best as we can understand it at this point, the reduction in tax dollars coming back to Albany Park residents would be the following:  

PROGRAM	STATE DEPARTMENT	$AMOUNT
ADULT EDUCATION	ICCB	$930,000
LITERACY	ISOS	$62,000
FAMILY LITERACY	ISOS	$35,000
TEEN REACH	DHS	$182,000
CEASEFIRE	IDOC	$250,000
CHILDCARE/PREK	DHS/FSS/CPS	$1,300,000
PARENT OUTREACH	ISBE/CPS	$200,000
TOTAL		$2,959,000

 

IMPACT TO ALBANY PARK RESIDENTS

The impacts of the proposed state budget cuts to community residents are the following: 

1. 240 low-income children will not receive childcare to assist working families
2. 120 low-income children will no longer receive school-age services and        summer camp
3. 60 middle school youth will not receive after-school programming and summer camp
4. 90 at-risk families will not receive any parental support to address family issues
5. Violence Intervention and prevention services will be non-existent to over 80 high-crime, gang-involved youth and to over 800 residents
6. 1500 adults will not receive needed literacy, ESL, GED, tutoring and workforce readiness skills
7. Increased rate of unemployment due to lack of adequate childcare and after-school services
8. General lack of resources to assist families
9. Increased at-risk behavior from area youth
10. Increased mental health and substance abuse issues for residents

 

These budget cuts are in addition to budget cuts we experienced last year (FY09) with the reduction of funding for our Peace Project ($250,000), Hibbard Program ($150,000), H-RAIL Program ($120,000), WorkForce Development ($140,000) and a 10-45% reduction in some of our CDBG contracts ($80,000). This represents an additional $620,000 in social services that are no longer available to Albany Park residents. 

IMPACT TO ALBANY PARK COMMUNITY CENTER

The current budget reductions will force Albany Park Community Center to immediately eliminate 29 full-time positions and 46 part-time positions as of July 1, 2009. It will also force us to make a 20-50% reduction in hours to over 70 other positions. In effect as the state-budget reductions currently exist, it would eliminate all the services at our Ainslie building and most of the services on the second floor of our Kimball building. We will also need to address the issues of what this means for our self-reserved unemployment and what this means in pay-out of accrued vacation to laid-off employees. The APCC Senior Team is also trying to determine what other expenses we can reasonably cut and yet proceed efficiently and effectively. These State reductions would appear contrary to what the State of Illinois would want to do in a time in where federal stimulus dollars are being allocated to increase the rate of employment and services to assist the nation in its economic recovery. 

CONCLUSIONS

APCC staff are working collaboratively with our elected officials to ensure continued program sustainability. It is crucial to the residents of this community, their emotional welfare and economic recovery that changes are made to the proposed State budgeting process. Two of these changes are the support of a temporary State tax increase and the elimination of lump-sum budgeting to State departments. We also realize that APCC needs to continue generating revenue at a heightened pace outside of our past dependency on government funding.  

APCC has received many calls of support, for which we are very grateful. It is important as a supporter of APCC programs that you personally advocate for these vital programs. If you would like to advocate on behalf of these programs, please contact local State Representatives and encourage them to sustain social service programs that have made a difference in this community.  

We will keep you informed of ongoing developments as our agency is given more information by the State. Please let us know of any other concerns you may have. Be assured: our determination to sustain the impact of these programs will match our passion for empowering the families we serve.