WHO: Bob Palmer, Policy Director for Housing Action Illinois
WHERE: Housing Action Illinois Facebook page, http://facebook.com/housingactionil
WHEN: Thursday, December 1 at 3:00 p.m.
WHAT: In anticipation of Governor Rauner’s Facebook Live event, to be held at 7:30 p.m. on December 1, advocates to create affordable housing and end homelessness call on Governor Rauner to tell us why he continues to hold up passage of a fully funded budget with adequate revenue based on his non-budget “turnaround agenda” demands. This is much more important question than what Governor Rauner’s Facebook page suggests he will discuss during his online chat with First Lady Diana Rauner, including “our favorite things, what we like to do to relax and what it’s like living in the Executive Mansion.”
In anticipation of Governor Rauner’s Facebook Live event, to be held at 7:30 p.m. on December 1, advocates to create affordable housing and end homelessness are asking Governor Rauner to tell us why he continues to hold up passage of a fully funded budget with adequate revenue, especially for programs that serve people experiencing homelessness, based on his non-budget “turnaround agenda” demands.
“We are asking Governor Rauner to explain why people who are homeless have to suffer because of the state budget impasse and inadequate funding for basic human needs, such as housing,” said Bob Palmer, Policy Director for Housing Action Illinois. “It isn’t fair that our elected officials, including Governor Rauner, are able to celebrate the holidays from the warmth of their homes and not address the needs of those who have no home at all.”
With the stopgap budget expiring on December 31, 2016, we think this is a more important question for Governor Rauner than hearing about the topics his Facebook page suggests he plans to discuss during the online chat with First Lady Diana Rauner, including “our favorite things, what we like to do to relax and what it’s like living in the Executive Mansion.”
State-funded homeless service providers, who operate homelessness prevention programs, services for unaccompanied youth, emergency shelters, transitional living programs and supportive housing, have been struggling throughout the state budget impasse, now entering its 16th month. Agencies have laid off staff, reduced and eliminated services, denied shelter to people experiencing homelessness and taken other actions to deal with the impasse.
Supportive housing providers serving people who were formerly homeless or at risk of becoming homeless have particularly struggled during the state budget impasse. The stopgap budget passed earlier this year only provides $8 million in funding through the Supportive Housing Services line item and no funding will be available after December 31, 2016. To adequately fund this line item would actually take $16.1 million in order to pay for services, such as case management and job training, in all the permanent supportive housing projects throughout the state that need it.
During the fiscal year prior to the start of the state budget impasse, Fiscal Year 2015, the Supportive Housing Services Program, provided services to 12,274 people who were formerly homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, including single adults and families with children.
Supportive housing is a wise investment, as it is vastly more affordable than housing an individual in a state mental hospital, state prison or nursing home. In addition to the supportive housing services specifically for people who were formerly homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, other State of Illinois supportive housing resources serve people with a serious mental illness. These providers will also stop receiving funding after December 31.
Supportive housing provides affordable rental homes with essential social and human services closely attached. It ends homelessness and unnecessary institutionalization for children and adults who have special needs such as a mental illness, an intellectual or developmental disability and/or chronic, debilitating physical illnesses like multiple sclerosis or HIV/AIDS.
This Facebook Live event is being presented by Housing Action Illinois, a statewide coalition formed to protect and expand the availability of quality, affordable housing throughout Illinois. Housing Action Illinois is a member of the Responsible Budget Coalition, a large, diverse non-partisan coalition of more than 300 organizations unified in support of a fully funded, yearlong state budget with adequate revenue to serve our people and empower our communities.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 10:17 am:
Way, way, WAY too long.
All important points, tough to cut, I grant you, and the message in all those words are so important, but even for Facebook, “tad” long.
If I was Diana Rauner, I’d be smiling too…
As a Democrat, since 2013 my name has been attached to $60 million that has gone to promoting and electing Raunerites for her husband and ensuring a political ideology that right now decimating social services continues…
… and The Ounce got their $5 million to cover the $7+ million the state owes… a business decision she calls it… but her husband won’t find a budgeting way to pay social services.
I can see why Diana Rauner is smiling.
Makes total sense.
- Honeybear - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 10:18 am:
Ooorah! GET SOME! Direct Action Gets Satisfaction! Don’t back down. Don’t shut up!
- Joe Bidenopolous - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 10:19 am:
Why is she always looking on him fawningly like he’s some matinee idol? That’s really weird.
- RoPo Ranger - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 10:23 am:
This may be the longest media advisory I’ve ever seen.
- Pundent - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 10:24 am:
Spot on analysis by OW as usual. The reason that Rauner continues to win the messaging game is due to his ability to use soundbites and ambiguous phrases like “reforms”. It’s the same messaging that propelled Trump to the White House.
These 500 hundred word missives simply don’t resonate in today’s sound bite twitter fed world.
- Rogue Roni - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 10:29 am:
Who aren’t the sad sacks who watch the Rauner Facebook live videos. There’s an internet’s worth of videos out there and you’d rather watch him answer the same canned questions that lead to the answers “term limits, turnaround agenda, blah blah, blah”. How is this moving the needle?
- Fairness and Fairness Only - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 10:34 am:
Shorten the message and routinely provide these updates through Facebook, other social media channels and traditional media coverage. Don’t just offer this messaging as a reaction to the governor. The social services need and painful cuts should stand on their own, and frequent messaging will help communicate the problems.
- RNUG - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 10:36 am:
Way too long. Needs to be cut down to something simple like:
Governor Rauner, you have cut homeless funding to where we no longer have a warm home or safe place to stay. Including the Governor’s Mansion, you have 10 safe and warm homes. Don’t we, the homeless, deserve one safe place?
- Jon - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 10:39 am:
I’m also in full agreement with OW, too long and my take away is that Bob Palmer thinks people who have homes should feel guilty. It also feels like the anti-Obama stance of the right, “Obama was out playing golf while “X” bad thing happened”.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 10:40 am:
To their 100% absolute credit…
They know, understand, are willing to say it, willing to say what others can’t and won’t…
Governors own.
And while I have sympathy for others’ problems of politics and organizational non-partisan handcuffs, and that Rauner has them hostage to possible retaliation, and even donors who like Rauner walking away because the group blamed “Bruce, my friend”…
At some point, the “both sides” ridiculousness is playing right into Rauner’s hands, and that point was about 17 months ago.
Good on THIS group for having the courage to say what so many want to, but seem to not be able to, and are paralyzed by the politics.
- Diogenes in DuPage - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 10:48 am:
RNUG, effectively and succinctly edited. Thanks.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 10:54 am:
–Hang out with us.–
Sounds like an invitation for the homeless to crash with the governor.
–Ask about our fav things, what we like to do to relax…–
Talk out both sides of our mouths. Renege on contracts. Toss people out of work. Gut higher ed. You know, same as most couples….
- MissingG - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 11:02 am:
No thanks
- Athens - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 11:09 am:
Dear Bob Palmer,
Nobody is going to read all that.
- Signal and Noise - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 11:10 am:
Agree with OW, if you can’t say it in 50 words or less, try again.
As for the premise. Good lord. Rome is literally burning. Do they think anyone gives a damn about “your favorite things about living in the exec mansion?” Geez. Use your pile of money to buy a clue.
- Been There - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 11:27 am:
I’m actually more interested in what its like to live in the Directors house at the Fairgrounds
- Jocko - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 11:29 am:
==Send us your questions!==
Paraphrasing Fat Tony from The Simpsons
“Where’s the budget? “When are you going to get to the budget?” “Why aren’t you getting to the budget now?”
- Archiesmom - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 11:43 am:
That cute photo makes me livid in light of the problems people are facing out here in the real world. I can’t get a decent night’s sleep thinking about all the people I talk to who are either getting hit now by the problems the state is having, or those waiting for the shoe to drop on them. Am I bitter? You bet.
- illini - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 12:25 pm:
I totally wasted a half hour of my life, that I will never get back, watching our Governors first Facebook propaganda promo.
I have no intention of ever doing that again.
- Huh? - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 2:57 pm:
1.4% with a smirk - What rubes, have we ever got them fooled.
Diana - yeah, right where we want them, eating out of our hand.
- sal-says - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 3:07 pm:
‘Starve the Beast’ is far more like ‘Destroy Illinois’.
Here’s a question for them on their Facebookie: How do they sleep at night with all the damage being done to IL residents of need?
Here’s another: How can you be so clueless to throw your comfy lifestyle in the faces of Illinoians?
Wonder what that nice, comfy couch cost ‘em. $5K? $10K?? More?