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* Jacksonville Journal-Courier…
A Jacksonville non-profit agency established to improve the health and well-being of those dealing with addiction is shutting down.
Wells Center Executive Director Bruce Carter confirmed the Wells Center will discontinue services as of the first week of May. According to a statement, the board and administration of the center explored alternatives to keep the center open but ultimately decided it will have to close.
As of March, the center — which opened in 1968 — had $342,000 in unpaid state vouchers, money that was necessary to keep the center afloat. Things looked promising after Carter spoke with state Comptroller Susana Mendoza, but Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer of Jacksonville previously said that the state’s cash flow problems were leaving little to no cash for the center.
* WLDS…
In a statement, Wells Center Executive Director Bruce Carter announced that “having explored possible alternatives that may have allowed the Wells Center to remain open, the Center administration and board have made the difficult decision that the Center will have to close and cease operations.”
* SJ-R…
The announcement was an abrupt change from a month ago when the center’s board voted to reverse a decision to close in early April because of chronic late payments from the state due to the budget impasse. At the time, the center said it expected it would be able to remain open for at least another three to six months.
The decision to remain open came after a visit from Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who pledged to do what she could to expedite payments to the not-for-profit center. Mendoza’s office issued a statement Friday that it “advanced all available state payments owed the Wells Center – about $400,000 the last few weeks.”
“We’ve pretty much cleared out our cupboard of what was owed to them,” said Mendoza spokesman Abdon Pallasch.
* Meanwhile…
The Illinois budget crisis strikes again, and Courage Connection, a local women’s domestic violence shelter, is in danger of having to close its doors. They are reaching out with an emergency donation campaign to stay open. Their closure would affect the lives of women and children who are in dangerous and vulnerable situations.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 10:00 am
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Tell me again how even Right to Work For Less is worth this?
Comment by Gruntled University Employee Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 10:11 am
Diana Rauner feels Wells Center made a business decision.
Bruce Rauner sleeps well, even on weekends.
The RaunerS are spending millions to crush social services so Bruce can have his Agenda
Why would anyone think this will make Diana and Bruce to rethink their damage.
It won’t.
Another hostage goes down. Business decisions.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 10:14 am
It can’t be said enough times: Bruce has no social agenda!
Comment by slow down Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 10:16 am
People will lose their lives without treatment. How many lives is the Turnaround Agenda worth?
Comment by anon2 Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 10:16 am
What was that about Illinois having to be competitive before being compassionate? Then there was a line about not having a social agenda. And something about 1.4% donating millions.
It is a sad commentary on the State when needed services are being held hostage for the sake of a personal political agenda that does so little.
Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 10:17 am
The Governor says he’s loving his job.
Representative C. J. Davidsmeyer, what say you?
Comment by don the legend Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 10:17 am
One might argue that the median household making $60,000 year is a hostage too, and when 2% of their income is taken away some of them are going to go down (or at least be on a starvation diet) too.
But let’s not even offer to trade political reform to help the social service providers and lessen the impact on taxpayers. Let’s just tell that family to…I dunno, none of the Rauner-haters on this board ever suggest what they should do. Give up their iphones, I guess.
Comment by lake county democrat Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 10:26 am
So sad for the people who need the services and the employees who provided them. Sad for Jacksonville to lose an employer. Governor Quinn was pilloried when he closed Jacksonville Developmental Center, but this one’s going out more with a whimper than a bang.
Perhaps social services could be funded by a continuing appropriation rather than a stopgap. Continuing approps seem to be more OK with Rauner than stopgaps right now. Much like electric rate increases go down better than tax increases.
Comment by Earnest Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 10:29 am
We have been reading for well over a year about these closures and cutbacks across the board with the social service sector.
There has been understandable outrage about the permanent damage that is deliberate and unforgivable.
Yet all we bet from our Governor are the oft repeated, trite and predictable deflections from any of this being his fault.
But just wait for one or two Universities to close or lose accreditation —-
Comment by illini Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 10:30 am
LCD,
Rauner’s runaround agenda is almost completely targeted at eliminating the Democratic base in this state. Even if you eliminated Mike Madigan from the equation its not going to happen.
Comment by Gruntled University Employee Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 10:32 am
lcd,
In this context, some might find your self-pity a bit unseemly.
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 10:36 am
But, there’s no social agenda. He said so.
Comment by Aldyth Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 10:48 am
to lake county democrat,
Why would anyone “even offer to trade political reform to help the social service providers” when the Govenor says one thing and then does another?(Sometimes called lying) Who knows what the trade is no matter what he says. After all, he has no social agenda.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 10:51 am
We are approaching the point with a bill backlog exceeding one-third of annual GRF spending, where stop-gap funding becomes irrelevant. Appropriations, continuing or otherwise, serve only to reserve a place in line to be paid. In any other circumstance outside of Illinois government, continuing to issue contracts full well knowing there is no means to pay for them would be considered criminal.
Comment by Markus Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 10:55 am
Terrible. But let’s just focus on HB 40 for the moment.
Comment by ste_with_av_en Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 11:40 am
===Terrible. But let’s just focus on HB 40 for the moment===
The governor can release the hostages at any time.
Why won’t he?
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 11:41 am
–Terrible. But let’s just focus on HB 40 for the moment.–
I take it you’re a can’t walk and chew gum at the same time kind of guy.
How are you with patting your head and rubbing your belly at the same time?
Please explain, what is all this “focus” that you need to conserve to keep from dealing with more than one thing.
Is that how your everyday life works, too?
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:16 pm
Here’s the real reason for the all the confusing and contradictory rhetoric from Rauner: to distract from the real objective of squeeze the beast.
While observers chase their tails trying to make sense of “very close to a deal” and “a balanced budget with no tax increases” the real goals are being achieved with state vendors being forced out of business because the state reneges on its contracts.
It’s been two years, what’s the mystery? Actions that produce predictable consequences versus screwball word salads that make no sense.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:21 pm
C. D. Davidsmeyer is another Rauner puppet. He is just like Rauner in that he is ok with the Wells Ctr. closing because it does not affect him. Rauner said that inroads could be made if we create a social crisis. Well we have it. I cant believe republican party supporters are ok with this. But from all the threads I have read, they are still supporting Rauner.
Comment by Generic Drone Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:54 pm
I am sick about this because our citizens who need services aren’t going to get them.
When Candidate Rauner said he had no social agenda we thought he meant he wasn’t going to push any particular social agenda. What he meant by that was his agenda was going to push against the State having ANY social services.
Now we know.
I will “Vote Accordingly!”
Comment by Biscuit Head Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:54 pm
Don,
What does Davidsmeyer say?
Whatever Bruce Rauner and/or Jim Bruner tell him he can say.
Comment by btowntruth from forgotonnia Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 1:32 pm
If only Rauner had some personal experience with someone dealing with addiction, say, holding up a pharmacy for pills, maybe then he could empathize with these people.
Comment by Daniel Plainview Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 3:51 pm