* Background is here if you need it. From Shaw Local…
An $8.6 million state grant awarded to Joliet Township for asylum seekers would fund services now being provided to migrants already coming to the area, Township Supervisor Angel Contreras said Wednesday. […]
He said asylum seekers being bused into the Chicago area already are finding their way to Joliet and other suburban areas. The Spanish Community Center in Joliet has done casework for 2,200 asylum seekers since August 2022, Contreras said.
The grant would be used to fund services already being provided to asylum seekers by the Spanish Community Center and Will-Grundy Medical Clinic, the two organizations named as grant recipients.
“I envision it (the grant) just stabilizing the work that the organizations are already doing so that they don’t go under,” Contreras said. “The people are here already, and we don’t want our systems to go under.”
Contreras’ full letter is here.
* From the township’s grant application…
Shelter and nights of stay are currently provided at the Mainstay Joliet hotel off of the Larkin exit at Interstate 80 in Joliet, Illinois. A Memorandum of agreement will exist with the hospitality owners to continue utilizing services for socially vulnerable individuals and providing guidance to triage, resources and services through direct continuity of care planning. This agreement provides protection to vulnerable clients that are experiencing acute or chronic stages of disease, and/or health and social vulnerability. […]
Spanish Community Center (SCC) will be opening and operating an Illinois Welcoming Center (IWC) program at its 309 N Eastern Ave location, which will be able to provide services to asylum-seekers. The IWC program will have the capacity to provide in-depth case management to 700 clients, crisis intervention services to 350 clients, and resource and referral services to 3000 clients, with a total funding award of $350,000. […]
In the last two years SCC also doubled the size of its legal and immigration programs, greatly increasing client capacity. So much so, that a secondary office location had to be opened in Joliet to house the expanding programs. Due to this growth, there have been several successes in the legal programs. In the current fiscal year, every employment authorization filed by the program has been approved, a family that filed for VAWA recently received their social security cards, and in FY23, the program surpassed its intake and case acceptance goals, conducting 145 screenings and accepting 63 cases.
* But, as you know, Joliet’s mayor claimed he and the local fire department were blindsided…
A state grant awarded to Joliet Township to provide services for migrants is raising concerns from elected leaders in Joliet.
“The decision maker in the city did not have knowledge of the grant request made by the Joliet Township with community partners and organization,” said Mayor Terry D’Arcy.
Mayor D’Arcy at a council meeting Tuesday night told the public his office and the Joliet Fire Department did not sign or approve any memorandum with the township as submitted to the state.
The township’s grant application not only featured the logos of the City of Joliet and the Joliet Fire Department at the top of its front page, the application itself more than just implied support from the mayor and cooperation with the fire department…
Joliet Township Government, with partners Will Grundy Medical Clinic, The Spanish Community Center, and The South Suburban Immigrant Project, with support from the City of Joliet Mayor’s Office, will work through memorandum of agreement alongside local safety net providers to offer temporary, rapid, and responsive support services to those individuals that are, under definition, seeking Asylum in the United States. […]
Working with the local Fire Department, to provide immediate on-site services through community paramedicine, and reciprocity through Joliet Township Government programs such as trauma informed services to violence prevention, non-emergency transportation, housing and shelter, food and nutrition access, and economic development.
If the township doesn’t have that cooperation, the entire program could founder.
* And there are clearly some proposed expansions in current efforts, including this one…
Will Grundy Medical Clinic Health Housing and Hope program has provided health care, shelter, medication and transportation, for over 800 individuals and families that reside unsheltered and within the emergency shelters, Morning Star Mission and Daybreak in Joliet, Illinois. This program will expand to offer a “Welcoming Clinic” for individuals and families seeking Asylum
*** UPDATE *** The City of Joliet’s interim city manager says the city was aware of the grant but it provided no input on the grant application and continues to oppose the proposal…
This statement is being released to provide clarity on the City’s position regarding Joliet Township’s application for asylum seeker funding. The City of Joliet routinely shares grant funding opportunities to other local government and social service agencies that support Joliet residents. We do this to help offset the financial impact to these agencies.
The City of Joliet received a notice of funding opportunity regarding this grant on August 9, 2023.
As standard practice, City staff reviewed the funding opportunity. A link was shared with Joliet Township and Spanish Community Center to attend a statewide zoom information session hosted by the grantor on this funding opportunity. On September 1, 2023, City staff met with Joliet Township, Spanish Community Center and Will Grundy Medical Clinic. A general discussion was held regarding the current pressures placed on these agencies from asylum seekers currently in the community and whether this grant would help stabilize the financial burden placed on the community.
City staff was aware these three organizations intended to have additional conversations regarding this grant opportunity and its applicability to meeting the current needs in the community. The City of Joliet provided no input in Joliet Township’s grant application.
The City did not receive a request from Joliet Township, nor did we authorize Joliet Township to include the Mayor’s Office and Joliet Fire Department as collaborators. In fact, the City did not receive a copy of the grant application until October 2, 2023.
The extreme amount ($12.1M) that Joliet Township requested does not correlate to any conversation City staff had regarding the current needs within the community.
As Interim City Manager, I do not support Joliet Township’s grant application. In the future, the City will continue to partner on funding opportunities with our governmental and community partners that benefit the residents and businesses of Joliet.
The Mayor’s strong request that Joliet Township withdraw the application stands.
