A new survey conducted by the United Way of Illinois shows the state's ongoing budget impasse is having a dramatic impact on social service agencies and their ability to provide those services.
More than half of the organizations surveyed say they will likely have to stop service clients within the next 6-months if the budget impasse continues. In southern Illinois, 62-percent of the agencies responding say they have already cut services, programs, and staff...up from 44-percent in January.
The cut to the clients they serve is more dramatic. In July 2015, 35-percent of agencies in the southern half of the state reported cutting the number of clients they serve. This month, that number has grown to 95-percent.
Youth and child welfare services have also suffered severe cuts. Those providers are reporting that up to 79-percent of child welfare needs in the region is now going unmet along with 53-percent of mental health needs.
