Hunter on Budget: We must ensure health care reform

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) issued the following statement in response to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s State of the State address:

“I am pleased that the governor’s plan has not cut Medicaid and other health service areas, while even increasing spending on some human services. After the hard year we’ve endured, it is vital that our health care and human services are properly funded. January was the deadliest month in the entire pandemic, with disproportionate deaths in Black communities.

“One reason Black people are more susceptible to COVID-19 is because many of our communities lack access to quality, affordable care. Communities still need proper transportation and better care that the working class and underprivileged can afford.

“The quality of health care you receive should not be determined by your race, income or region. Quality, affordable health care should be recognized as a right for all. We need to continue to rethink and reshape the leadership of our state’s health care, leading with diversity, inclusion, and justice at the center.”

Hunter highlights DCFS Scholarship Program applications

CHICAGO – The 2021 Department of Children and Family Services Scholarship Program is now open, and State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) is encouraging youth in care to apply.

“I worked hard to expand this scholarship program, and the program can help dozens of youth after an extremely difficult year,” Hunter said. “This scholarship allows students to focus on their studies, rather than carry the burden of paying for their education.”

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POC-Owned Small Businesses On West Side Can Apply For $5,000 Pandemic Assistance Grants

The grants are offered by the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation and United Airlines to support West Side businesses.

 
WEST SIDE — Small businesses owned by people of color on the West Side can apply for a recovery grant through Feb. 28 to help them stay afloat through the pandemic.

The Support West program will award $5,000 grants to selected businesses. The program is organized by the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation in partnership with United Airlines.

Business owners can apply for the grant on the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation website through the end of February. Recipients will be chosen in March.

Recognizing that the West Side was hit especially hard by the pandemic and economic slump, the grants aim to “assist in long-term recovery and elevate the economic corridors of West Side communities surrounding the United Center,” Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz said in a news release.

The grants will target people-of-color-owned small businesses that have 10 or fewer employees. Eligible businesses must have less than $250,000 in annual revenue. Applicants must also demonstrate a 25 percent loss in revenues due to the pandemic.

“We are pleased to partner with the Blackhawks to channel our resources to better ensure that the small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic remain a valuable part of our city when we emerge from this pandemic,” Rahsaan Johnson, director of global sponsorship activation at United, said in a news release.

The Support West grants will be a partner program to One West Side, the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation’s efforts to invest in the West Side’s nonprofit community. One West Side has committed at least $2 million to funding leadership development and neighborhood programs in the area.

Nonprofit grantees from the One West Side program include MAAFA Redemption Project, the Austin Childcare Providers Network and West Side United.

Illinois DCFS offers college scholarships to current and former youth in care

DCFS Scholarship Program applications accepted until March 31

CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is currently accepting applications for the 2021 DCFS Scholarship Program. Through the program, 53 academic scholarships will be awarded to current and former youth in care for the upcoming school year, with four awards reserved for the children of veterans.

Scholarship recipients receive up to five consecutive years of tuition and academic fee waivers to be used at participating Illinois state community colleges and universities, a monthly grant of $1,235 to offset other expenses and a medical card. On average, the department receives 200 application packets each year, and has awarded over 1,400 scholarships since the program began in 1971.

“It is imperative that every youth in our care has the tools they need to succeed,” said Illinois DCFS Acting Director Marc D. Smith. “These scholarships give our youth the ability to concentrate on their studies and prepare for their futures without the stress of worrying about how they are going to pay for school.”

The DCFS Scholarship Program is open to youth who have an open DCFS case, whose cases were closed through adoption or guardianship or who aged out of care at 18 or older. Youth who are at least 16 years old and not yet 21 on March 31 may apply.

“The information I received from the DCFS Scholarship Program about buying books, school contacts and job opportunities made my transition to college life much easier,” said Maya, a 2020 scholarship recipient. “I am very grateful to have been selected as a recipient of the scholarship award. With this scholarship I don’t have to worry about trying to manage a lot of work hours and my school schedule. The scholarship allows me to focus on my classes and study time and has made me more financially responsible. I review my expenses, pay my bills on time and balance my monthly budget.”

Scholarship recipients are selected based on their scholastic record and aptitude, community and extracurricular activities, three letters of recommendation from non-relatives and a written statement illustrating their purpose for higher education. Due to pandemic-related limited availability of ACT and SAT testing sites, ACT and SAT test scores will not be considered for any applicants in the 2021 selection process.

Applications are available at any DCFS regional office and on the DCFS website: www2.illinois.gov/dcfs (Form CFS 438 under DCFS Features on the homepage). Students or caregivers may call the DCFS Office of Education and Transition Services at 217-557-2689 with questions about the application process or for more information.