Latest news with #LoreBaker
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Illinois advocates concerned about proposed cuts to care hours for developmentally disabled
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — If you just look at the line item for the Illinois Department of Human Services in Governor Pritzker's proposed budget, you will see an increase for services for the developmentally disabled. However, advocates are now drawing attention to a specific cut that could result in less care hours for people who need care in group homes. The They Deserve More Coalition, which is made up of different organizations that support the developmentally disabled, came to the Illinois State Capitol to share their concerns. Bill cracking down on license plate flippers in Illinois passes Senate The Governor's proposed budget would include a $32 million dollar decrease in funded hours for care of developmentally disabled living in group homes. The funded hours specifically pay for direct support professionals to staff these group homes. The Illinois Association for Rehabilitation Facilities said the decrease would result in 900,000 hours being cut from the current total, which could mean over an hour less of care per day. 'If we cut 900,000 hours out of the service system from those people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, then they're going to be in danger of not being able to live effectively in their community,' Lore Baker, President of the Association for Individual Development said. People with developmental disabilities are assessed and prescribed a certain number of hours of care. In these group home settings, hours are typically pooled together to make sure the people have the proper care. A spokesperson for Governor JB Pritzker's office said the rollback is more about efficiently using the hours allotted. Illinois House passes 'Dillon's Law' to help more people carry Epi-Pens 'The discussion of the 'funded hours' obscures a basic fact: IDHS and Governor Pritzker are committing more to DD services than ever before,' Spokesman for the Governor Alex Gough said in a statement. 'Providers will never be told 'you've reached your hours limit' or be forced to lay off support workers. The global hours total is part of a funding model with multiple parts, designed to fairly and equitably distribute limited resources.' The administration pointed to the other investments being made to services for the developmentally disabled. Those include a 50-cent per hour wage increase for direct support professionals. It's also another year of increases for the overall budget for that division. That overall increase is why advocates and organizations were so caught off guard by the proposed cut, especially since they thought they were past this discussion. This cut was proposed after the state already backed off a much bigger proposed cut last year. Starting in 2023, the state was prepared to cut 2.3 million hours to the same area. At the time, the state said that was just a step in implementing the findings from the state-commissioned Guide House Rate study, but the state backtracked on that plan after pressure from advocates and lawmakers. While this proposal will impact significantly less hours, advocates still say it will result in a loss of care. Bill to ban two food additives passes Illinois Senate 'I think it might be possible if the hours didn't disappear,' Baker said. 'But what happened, instead of moving around two hours to go have more hours for someone who has a higher service need and less hours for someone who needs less support, the total amount of hours in the system totally shrunk.' The governor's proposed budget is just that — a proposal. Lawmakers will spend the next month and a half hammering out the details of the budget. Advocates voiced their concerns about these proposed cuts to the appropriations committee in the House of Representatives. 'Every legislator that we've spoken to has been shocked that this was in the governor's proposed budget,' Baker said. 'They keep saying, didn't we fix this last year? And we're like, We thought so, but not so much.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
04-04-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Kane County Health Department launches mental health awareness campaign
A new year-long initiative by the Kane County Health Department is aiming to help residents learn how to access mental health and substance use resources in the county, according to a news release from Kane County. The new initiative, 'Connect with Kane: Learn, Grow, Thrive,' is meant to increase awareness of, reduce stigma and promote access to mental health and substance use services, according to Thursday's news release. The initiative will also focus on 'affordability strategies' and tools for supporting friends and family with mental health concerns. 'While the reasons behind the increased need for mental health services may be complex, the trends are clear, residents are reporting increasing levels of stress, anxiety and other challenges that can be indicators of mood disorders,' Kane County Health Department Executive Director Michael Isaacson said in the release. 'This year, the Health Department plans to double down on communications around mental health to inform residents about the importance of this aspect of health and all the different resources available to access help for themselves and their loved ones.' The county said in the release that there was a 31% increase in adult depression rates from 2020 to 2022 in Kane County, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The biggest part of the initiative is the county's Behavioral Health 360 website, which has screening and assessment tools, informational articles, self-help guides and a resource guide of providers in Kane County. The Health Department program will also create toolkits for community partners focused on combating stigma and helping connect people with professional care or self-help options, for example. The campaign is a year-long program, according to the release. It is being funded from federal American Rescue Plan dollars allocated by the Kane County Board in 2023. The campaign will also focus on specific issues like youth mental health, suicide prevention, substance use treatment and harm reduction, according to the release. 'Mental health and substance use impact more than individuals and families, they have a huge impact on entire communities,' president and CEO of the Aurora-based Association for Individual Development Lore Baker said in Thursday's news release. 'When children and teens are struggling, it impacts their school performance and learning; for adults, mental health issues can significantly impact work performance and productivity. The consequences of ignoring these issues are far-reaching for our county and region.' Residents can contact the Health Department's information and referral specialist at 331-312-0060 or garciatoni@ for individual support or help navigating mental health care costs and insurance.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Association for Individual Development looking to build 20 supportive housing units in Aurora
The Association for Individual Development, an organization also known as AID, that provides services to people with physical, developmental, intellectual and mental health challenges, is looking to build a new supportive housing project in Aurora. The new 20 units of supportive housing would be located in the old school building at the corner of Jackson Street and Second Avenue on Aurora's East Side. That building, which would be renovated into apartments and expanded as a part of this project, is currently owned by the nearby Iglesia Evangelica Luterana San Pablo, which is a partner with AID in this project. AID would also be partnering on the development with The Neighbor Project and Hesed House, two Aurora-based organizations focused on housing, but this project would be 'slightly different than straight-up affordable housing,' according to AID President and CEO Lore Baker. She told the Aurora City Council's Building, Zoning and Economic Development Committee on Feb. 12 that these units would be for people who are both low-income, specifically those who make 30% or less of the area's median income, and need ongoing services and support. As for who may need ongoing support, Baker said that may include people with any kind of disability, those who have multiple chronic conditions that make it difficult to hold down long-term employment and people previously or actively experiencing homelessness, as well as veterans. On Tuesday, the project went before the City Council Committee of the Whole, which sets the council's agenda for the following week. That committee placed the three items related to AID's proposed project on the Feb. 25 City Council meeting's consent agenda, which is typically used for routine or non-controversial items that are all approved with one vote and without discussion instead of needing to vote on and talk about each individual item. At Tuesday's meeting, Baker said AID would look to break ground in the spring if the project is approved at the City Council meeting. After groundbreaking, the construction would likely take a year, she said. The old school building's classrooms would be converted into 10 apartments, while an addition to the building would bring an extra 10 units, according to Liezel Pimentel of WJW Architects. The school building's gym would be converted into a lounge and community space for residents as well as a half basketball court, she said at the Feb. 12 Building, Zoning and Economic Development Committee meeting. The addition would have brick and stay at a height of only two stories to keep with the existing buildings on site, Pimentel said. According to her presentation, 14 of the units are set to be one-bedroom while the other six would be two-bedroom units. Each of the units are set to include full kitchens, full bathrooms and 'ample' storage, a staff report about the project included with the Feb. 12 meeting's agenda said. The project is also expected to hold on-site offices, both for property management and supportive services staff, according to the staff report. A bowling alley in the school building's basement that is currently open to the public would stay. In addition to restoring the historic school building to save it from 'continuing to fall into disrepair and possible demolition while adding additional housing to the neighborhood on an underutilized parking lot,' the project would also add landscaping to the property, including along Second Avenue, the staff report said. A landscaped courtyard area with outdoor seating would be created on the property, which would also serve as a shared path for the apartment building and existing buildings on site, according to Pimentel. The project would dedicate 20 parking spaces to the apartments, but that parking lot would be shared with the church, and there are more than enough spaces for both the church and the development, city staff said at the Feb. 12 committee meeting. One of the three items set to come before the Aurora City Council at the Feb. 25 meeting would subdivide the property into three — one for the church and its related buildings, one for the supportive housing project and one for an existing two-unit residential house. Another item set to come before City Council would rezone the three properties to match their proposed or current uses, and the last item would approve the supportive housing project's plan. rsmith@
Chicago Tribune
21-02-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Association for Individual Development looking to build 20 supportive housing units in Aurora
The Association for Individual Development, an organization also known as AID, that provides services to people with physical, developmental, intellectual and mental health challenges, is looking to build a new supportive housing project in Aurora. The new 20 units of supportive housing would be located in the old school building at the corner of Jackson Street and Second Avenue on Aurora's East Side. That building, which would be renovated into apartments and expanded as a part of this project, is currently owned by the nearby Iglesia Evangelica Luterana San Pablo, which is a partner with AID in this project. AID would also be partnering on the development with The Neighbor Project and Hesed House, two Aurora-based organizations focused on housing, but this project would be 'slightly different than straight-up affordable housing,' according to AID President and CEO Lore Baker. She told the Aurora City Council's Building, Zoning and Economic Development Committee on Feb. 12 that these units would be for people who are both low-income, specifically those who make 30% or less of the area's median income, and need ongoing services and support. As for who may need ongoing support, Baker said that may include people with any kind of disability, those who have multiple chronic conditions that make it difficult to hold down long-term employment and people previously or actively experiencing homelessness, as well as veterans. On Tuesday, the project went before the City Council Committee of the Whole, which sets the council's agenda for the following week. That committee placed the three items related to AID's proposed project on the Feb. 25 City Council meeting's consent agenda, which is typically used for routine or non-controversial items that are all approved with one vote and without discussion instead of needing to vote on and talk about each individual item. At Tuesday's meeting, Baker said AID would look to break ground in the spring if the project is approved at the City Council meeting. After groundbreaking, the construction would likely take a year, she said. The old school building's classrooms would be converted into 10 apartments, while an addition to the building would bring an extra 10 units, according to Liezel Pimentel of WJW Architects. The school building's gym would be converted into a lounge and community space for residents as well as a half basketball court, she said at the Feb. 12 Building, Zoning and Economic Development Committee meeting. The addition would have brick and stay at a height of only two stories to keep with the existing buildings on site, Pimentel said. According to her presentation, 14 of the units are set to be one-bedroom while the other six would be two-bedroom units. Each of the units are set to include full kitchens, full bathrooms and 'ample' storage, a staff report about the project included with the Feb. 12 meeting's agenda said. The project is also expected to hold on-site offices, both for property management and supportive services staff, according to the staff report. A bowling alley in the school building's basement that is currently open to the public would stay. In addition to restoring the historic school building to save it from 'continuing to fall into disrepair and possible demolition while adding additional housing to the neighborhood on an underutilized parking lot,' the project would also add landscaping to the property, including along Second Avenue, the staff report said. A landscaped courtyard area with outdoor seating would be created on the property, which would also serve as a shared path for the apartment building and existing buildings on site, according to Pimentel. The project would dedicate 20 parking spaces to the apartments, but that parking lot would be shared with the church, and there are more than enough spaces for both the church and the development, city staff said at the Feb. 12 committee meeting. One of the three items set to come before the Aurora City Council at the Feb. 25 meeting would subdivide the property into three — one for the church and its related buildings, one for the supportive housing project and one for an existing two-unit residential house. Another item set to come before City Council would rezone the three properties to match their proposed or current uses, and the last item would approve the supportive housing project's plan.
