* From the Pantagraph…
About 185 low-income, older adults who receive state assistance to remain in their homes in McLean County will transition to another service provider as YWCA McLean County ends its long-standing, state-assisted home care services.
Home-care services for 24 private-pay older adults will remain.
“It’s true that we now have a state budget,” Liz German, YWCA McLean County vice president of operations, told The Pantagraph on Wednesday. “But the damage has been done. We can’t turn back the clock.”
YWCA is owed $500,000 by the state and $300,000 of that is for state-assisted home-care services, German said.
YWCA’s last day providing state-assisted home care services for people 60 and older will be Aug. 5, German said.
The agency has been been providing state-assisted home-care services for 45 years and has been the largest provider in McLean County, said Vicki Hightower, YWCA senior director of adult services. Two companies — Addus HomeCare and Help At Home — also accept state-assisted home-care clients in McLean County. Several companies work with private pay clients, who aren’t affected by the transition.
* From the Pritzker campaign…
“As Rauner staffs up with a radical right-wing team determined to cause more devastation, our most vulnerable communities are still reeling from the damage of round one,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Rauner’s actions are salt in the wound and Illinois seniors, children, and families can’t afford his callous leadership any longer.”
* Related…
* Women’s Center in Carbondale still in need of state funds despite end of budget impasse: “How long are we gong to be able to survive? Because we don’t know when the money is going to start coming,” said McClanahan The Women’s Center took out a $250,000 loan because of the budget stalemate. “That’s money we are going to have to pay back with interest,” said McClanahan
- Gruntled University Employee - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 11:40 am:
===“Rauner’s actions are salt in the wound and Illinois seniors, children, and families can’t afford his callous leadership any longer.” ===
This, all day, every day (exclamation point)
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 11:45 am:
The Pritzker take on this and all things related to the severe and permanent damage done by Rauner sounds an awful lot like “Pat Quinn failed” and that’s the continued drumbeat necessary to hold Rauner accountable for no full year budgets these past 3 years, including Rauner’s veto this fiscal year.
To the Post,
The RaunerS are pleased that the passive destruction continues to squeeze the beast. What upsets them is that the message is getting out more and more and they can’t stop it.
I’m saddened by this. It never needed to happen. It was a choice to hurt places like this in the Post. That can’t be forgotten.
- Louis Capricious - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 11:47 am:
=== radical right-wing team ===
Hey Pritzker people:
How about spending some of that dough on polling to find negative terms likely to resonate, in a meaningful way, with real people? “Radical right-wing” isn’t gonna do it.
- Michelle Flaherty - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 11:48 am:
Thank goodness McLean County’s lawmakers recognized this and helped stop the suffering.
Right Bill Brady?
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 11:49 am:
Kinda building off of our conversation the other day about Pritzker’s press releases, we have five public posts today, and 3 of them have commentary from Team JB.
That’s exactly why you comment on everything you can.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 11:51 am:
===“Radical right-wing” isn’t gonna do it. ===
You do know what state you live in, right?
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 11:51 am:
=“Radical right-wing” isn’t gonna do it.=
Speak for your self.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 11:54 am:
===
Kinda building off of our conversation the other day about Pritzker’s press releases, we have five public posts today, and 3 of them have commentary from Team JB.
That’s exactly why you comment on everything you can.===
Agree, and I stand by my comments as they continue to show a Shop growing and finding their groove. Well done
As an aside…
How’s that Rauner YMCA holding up with all that Diana and Bruce want state government to be?
Last we left that YMCA, weren’t they having program-funding issues?
- kitty - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 11:56 am:
Penny wise and pound foolish. Home based assisted living care represents a more cost effective and holistic approach than institutionalized care, which this development may precipitate. I believe somewhere between 60 and 70 percent of all Illinois citizens in designated long term care facilities require Title XIX Medicaid to pay at least a portion of their care. The percentage of citizens whom have the means to pay for care thru private pay is decreasing in IL and elsewhere (in this example, 24 vs. 185). This is very unwelcomed news for Bloomington-Normal.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 12:02 pm:
You could probably find a sharper phrase than “radical right-wing”, but it’s fine, especially in the early stages of the primary.
- former southerner - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 12:11 pm:
Never fear YWCA, maybe the new GOP state senate leader will finally do something positive for his district… But don’t hold your breath while waiting or the other area Brady will get your business.
- Stumpy's bunker - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 12:11 pm:
Quite the development in Senate GOP Leader Brady’s hometown. It will be interesting to see what Sen. Brady says about it, considering that those affected and the governor will be listening.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 12:12 pm:
Could the new regime deep-thinkers be radically candid on the concept of the sanctity of contracts?
For example, if someone signs a contract in the full knowledge that they will act to ensure that it is not paid, is that fraud?
If that deliberate reneging on contracts harms the elderly, children, the least able to fend for themselves, is that immoral?
That’s not dorm-room debate club, that stuff is real and on your watch, right now.
- Norseman - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 12:38 pm:
Well said Word.
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 12:38 pm:
I am very disturbed by what we allowed to happen to our most vulnerable populations. Some people couldn’t care less, and they think that if people are poor, it’s their fault and let them eat dirt.
Some say that they shouldn’t pay taxes for lazy poor people to get government help. Some of these critics have had or currently get government assistance themselves or have family members who get help. These are the people with whom Rauner has made his political bed.
I agree too that Pritzker is getting better as a candidate, press-wise. His campaign’s language is pretty mild, considering what happened. But it’s spot-on, as far as calling out Rauner and staffing decisions.
- Nearly Normal - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 12:43 pm:
I’m sure the Republicans around here will be chanting the “Blame Madigan” mantra. That’s all I hear from many of them.
- STILL WATERS - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 1:03 pm:
Reducing payout to needy programs is and always has been the plan. If the organizations that provide these services get reimbursed at all they will be at the end of the line for slow motion payments making it impossible for them to get up and running again.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 1:44 pm:
You can’t claim to be conservative yet advocate unconstitutional illegal acts to reach your conservative goals.
Depending upon our courts to rewrite our laws is essentially stating that you have no real solutions to the issues we face, unless the courts rewrite our constitutional laws.
Rauner is the guy claiming he is an astrophysicist with workable rockets, just as soon as the law of gravity is suspended.
- The All Knowing Oz - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 2:28 pm:
Hide your wallets from this guy, He will pick your pockets clean.
- RNUG - Thursday, Jul 13, 17 @ 11:06 pm:
== “Radical right-wing” isn’t gonna do it. ==
Personally, I prefer either “vulture capitalistic” or, more simplistically, “Bust-out Bruce”.