Pritzker announces $90 million injection into assistance programs ahead of Phase 4
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday announced $90 million will be injected into assistance programs and community service block grants in an effort to better help families and individuals affected financially by COVID-19.
During a news conference at Belleville’s Community Interfaith Food Pantry at 1218 W. Main St., Pritzker said the new funds, which are being provided by the federal CARES Act, will be aimed to help families who are struggling through programs like the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, and Community Service Block Grants.
Illinois families who need assistance can get information about help paying for rent, food, temporary shelter, utility bills and other essential needs at helpillinoisfamilies.com.
Pritzker said the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on the economy have pushed many families to the edge.
“We must take action to protect people from the financial challenges that COVID-19 brings on,” Pritzker said, mentioning Illinois’ past moves to help protect low-income families, by banning evictions and putting a moratorium on shut-offs and repossessions.
Pritzker said he has heard concerns from people who have been out of work for months that they may be evicted when the ban is lifted because they cannot afford to pay the back rent they owe. He acknowledged the program announced Monday “doesn’t full address” their concerns but said there are other types of assistance available.
“We have programs, not just what we announced today, but other programs at the Department of Human Services that are intended to provide rent assistance to people to help them deal with their monthly rent and even back rent,” the governor said. “We don’t want people to be evicted, and so we’re going to try to work as we go forward to figure out how we can help people avoid that.”
The $90 million bring the total funds put into Illinois’ assistance programs and community service block grants to $275 million. Pritzker said the new funding and recent revisions to the programs have also made more families eligible for assistance.
“This new funding means 1 million more residents are now eligible for community assistance,” he said. “These two programs put hundreds of dollars on average into low-income households and families that need it the most.”
In total, 3.5 million Illinoisans are now eligible for “hundreds of dollars” in relief. The state also increased the eligibility income threshold up to 200% of the federal poverty level.
On top of that, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity recently launched a new remote application process to “streamline” the process of receiving assistance and determining eligibility.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented us with twin crises, one of public health and one of economic downturn,” said Acting Director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Michael Negron. “For too many families these twin crises have pushed them to the edge of a cliff. Just one unpaid bill, one medical emergency away from financial ruin.”
Locally, St. Clair County’s Intergovernmental Grants and Economic Development departments Executive Director Rick Stubblefield says in the past 90 days the county has mailed out more than 2,000 applications and received 1,000 applications. He said the county expects to have five to six times the amount of applications from last year.
Under Pritzker’s plan to reopen Illinois, the state is tentatively scheduled to move to Phase 4 on June 26.
This story was originally published June 15, 2020 at 12:04 PM.
