Another hostage goes down
Friday, May 26, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bloomington Pantagraph…
Responding to nearly two years without a state budget, The Baby Fold will discontinue residential treatment center services, the Normal-based human services agency announced Thursday.
The program, which was reduced from serving 28 children to 14 children in 2015, will cease operations June 30.
Including all its programs, Baby Fold serves more than 1,000 vulnerable children and families.
“We will be working diligently to arrange new placements for the children over the next 30 to 60 days so they can be well-settled prior to the next school year,” Baby Fold President and CEO Dianne Schultz said in a prepared statement.
“I am saddened by the circumstances surrounding the state budget impasse that have made this decision necessary,” Schultz said. […]
The residential treatment center is for children who have been removed from their homes because of trauma, abuse or neglect and have significant mental health issues. The program in Normal is believed to be the only one of its kind in Central Illinois.
Ugh.
…Adding… Andrea Durbin at the Illinois Collaboration on Youth sent me the link to the above story and has given me permission to post her e-mail…
As with much of the recently-announced Lutheran Child and Family Services closures, this is not only due to lack of payment but also due to insufficient payment. Our elected officials need to have the political courage to face reality and address the continual erosion of the human services safety net with a real budget.
I know you know this, but I can’t help saying it again. It is unconscionable that abused and neglected children may go without effective treatment so we can have a political fight.
“The program in Normal is believed to be the only one of its kind in Central Illinois.”
Andi
- Scamp640 - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 11:54 am:
The Turnaround Agenda is working its magic. Making Illinois Great Again.
- JS Mill - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 11:59 am:
That is bad. We send students there for services and they are good.
I wonder how Dan Brady feels about that in this GOP stronghold. Dan has been supportive of special needs student causes in the past.
- Saluki - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 11:59 am:
I guess this is the “short term pain” he was talking about.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 11:59 am:
The work that The Baby Fold does, this is gut-wrenching to think that social services, like The Baby Fold, the many like them, need to face unneeded pain so Labor can feel the pain both RaunerS are paying for… for Bruce.
So disheartened.
- FormerParatrooper - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 12:10 pm:
One of the few things State Government is supposed to do and our politicians fail yet again.
- Amalia - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 12:10 pm:
Bruce Rauner seems to think that Red Nose Day will fund all services for poor children. Nope.
- Marrs96 - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 12:23 pm:
This is a heartbreaking loss. DCFS residential homes are being gutted now and there will simply be no replacement. These youth are the most in need and because of this the most vulnerable to harm. So incredibly maddening.
- Dr X - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 12:25 pm:
But taxes went down and compassionate conservatives stepped up and funded these programs. No problem.
- Union thug - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 12:29 pm:
Looking at it wrong. Once the governor gets his way. Those kids will be able to get a low wage job and be less a wast of tax payers money /S
- Anon221 - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 12:35 pm:
“The program in Normal is believed to be the only one of its kind in Central Illinois.”
Wonder if this is part of Dr. Rauner’s Turnaround agenda.
- btowntruth from forgotonnia - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 12:42 pm:
JS Mill:
I would be my house Brady doesn’t care.
Rauner has 50 million reasons for him not to.
- Honeybear - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 12:47 pm:
Rauner- destroys yet another PRIVATE company
Funny thing though is that for Rauner it’s not even a public/private conflict.
Do you make profit?
No? You’re non-profit?
Oh then you gone!
- independent - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 12:47 pm:
I want to personally thank Senator Brady, Barickman and Representatives Dan Brady and Keith Sommer for doing their part in destroying our Human Service infrastructure. Maybe now that their work is done, then can voluntary term limit themselves since it’s such an important issue for them.
- AlfondoGonz - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 12:58 pm:
I played football at Illinois Wesleyan. Every year, during camp, we would volunteer to spend a day with the kids from the baby fold. They would come by and we would toss the ball around with them or race them or just sit a talk with them. Those are great kids who have suffered horribly. This is disgusting. We are all worse because of this.
- btowntruth from forgotonnia - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 1:10 pm:
Oops bet.
- Glenn - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 1:15 pm:
Making Illinois Grate.
Grating Illinois.
verb (used without object), grated, grating.
1.
to have an irritating or unpleasant effect.
- Texas Red - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 1:29 pm:
Yep a real tragedy, I am a financial supporter of Marklund a similar facility in northern IL. Just as Rauner can be called out on this closing , we can also shame the Dem’s refusal to budge on real spending reforms.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 1:40 pm:
- Texas Red -
===we can also shame the Dem’s refusal to budge on real spending reforms===
Really? Seems like Rauner following through perfectly with his plan…
===“In Illinois there’s been a long-time history of what I would call social service, social justice, a bigger role for government in the safety net than in many other states. I think we can drive a wedge issue in the Democratic Party on that topic”
— Bruce Rauner, September 18, 2012.===
Hmm…
- VanillaMan - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 1:41 pm:
Baby Fold is a very special place for it’s kids and for the teen volunteers from throughout our state who’ve experienced the moment they discovered that they were old enough to make a difference in another’s life.
This isn’t about handouts to entitled free-loaders, this is about creating new generations of good citizens. This is about believing in a future.
Shutting down places like Baby Fold signifies a cynicism, a callousness, and a complete resignation in Illinois.
It’s a very bad moment for us, folks.
This one’s a crime.
$@×@[@/![(=!
- Flynn's Mom - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 1:53 pm:
This is sad news. They do a good job and thousands of kids and their families will be left without services.Should we start opening alms houses?
- DeseDemDose - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 2:02 pm:
Heartless Mr.and Mrs. Rauner…something is terribly wrong.
- OurMagician - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 3:10 pm:
Dan, Jason? Any comment? followed by chirping from those 2.