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* Some of the most vulnerable among us…
Webster-Cantrell Hall’s emergency shelter care program for homeless teens is closing at the end of the month after the state ended funding for three of the eight available beds.
The shelter, at 1220 Underwood Court, just north of Mound Road, served youths ages 12 to 18 who didn’t have a place to stay. With a lack of similar shelters in the region, those teens will have to be taken to Chicago, said Holly Newbon, Webster-Cantrell director of development.
“They’re (Department of Child and Family Services) wards who have been kicked out of foster care, run away from another residential program or they were just on the streets,” Newbon said. “DCFS could call day or night and place a youth there. “We would bring them in and provide case management and therapy. We’d work with them to find appropriate placement.” […]
“The majority of the youth there were from Central Illinois,” Newbon said. “Now they’re going to be taking them to Chicago, where the per diem rates are higher and the cost of service is higher, not to mention the travel. It’s very sad.”
Newbon said Webster-Cantrell will try to place most of the staff from the shelter in new jobs but between eight and 10 employees would lose their job.
*** UPDATE *** Mrs. Rauner recently did a photo op at the facility…
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 9:10 am
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Diana Rauner, who put her name as recently as October of 2016, who donated $9 million dollars for Raunerite legislator wins to help Bruce’s Darwinian plan, that can only be stopped by destroying all of Labor…
Diana Rauner, Democrat… calls this a business decision.
This shelter doesn’t have Diana Rauner calling the Pritzkers for a bailout… A business decision I’m told.
So remember, when Diana Rauner decides to get on the Tee-Vee, and she clutches that coffee mug and tells Illinois “Bruce has no social agenda” yet again… remember the millions Democrat Diana Rauner put her own name to… to leverage… these business decisions.
Bruve is having fun. Bruce told us so. This might make Bruce’s day.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 9:23 am
Maybe the kids could stuff themselves into manila folders and find shelter in one of those expensive Cellini-clouted document warehouses that are a top priority of the Rauner administration during this deliberate fiscal meltdown.
If not, I’m certain that some of them will soon find alternative accommodations at county jails, prisons, or with friendly pimps. That’s the way it’s always been, everywhere, in such cases.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 9:32 am
Programs are closing and Agencies are closing but sometime budget cuts are used as an excuse for poor performance without recognizing that other programs exist in an area. In Decatur, where Webster Cantrall Hall is located there is another emergency shelter for runaway youth and locked out youth. The local Youth Advocate Program has very competently operated this service for over the last ten years. It is operated out of a house provided by a local not for profit housing corporation and the operational funds are providing by the local County Mental Health Board.
Comment by almost retired guy Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 10:09 am
Since the goal of DCFS and all government child welfare systems is permanency and stability, one would hope that not too many wards are using this service, at least not for very long, since they are supposed to have permanent homes. Indeed, an agency which heavily utilizes emergency shelters for its wards (and, to be fair, I don’t know how Illinois’ DCFS performs in this area), is probably not functioning very well as to its core missions of protection and permanency.
Comment by Cassandra Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 10:29 am
How can the Illinois Republicans be letting this happen? Is this purposeful real destruction of these young peoples lives only Rauners fault?
Comment by DeseDemDose Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 11:02 am
Just think of all the good Dr. Rauner could do if she had a social agenda outside of The Ounce’s “We are the Only One that Counts” mission. Instead of raising $15 million to renovate the “People’s House” for the Bicentennial, why not focus on the millions of people being damaged by a “no social agenda” Agenda? Because right now, she looks very callous and self-serving. Maybe living in the “Rustic House” for a few months will have an effect. After all, the Rauners gave the foxes a chance to survive. Are the People of this State any less deserving?
Comment by Anon221 Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 11:04 am
Cassandra:
What in the world does your commentary on DCFS utilization of these services have to do with the closure of this shelter? You’re commenting on policy instead of looking at the giant problem in front of you which is the closure of the shelter. You really need to get your head out of the theoretical sometimes and look at what is staring you in the face. These academic discussion are nice and all but are entirely inappropriate for what is happening here.
Comment by Demoralized Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 11:31 am
Dr. Rauner’s response on the twitter feed to Holly Newbon’s thank you for her visit:
Diana Rauner: I’m so glad I had the opportunity to spend some time at Webster-Cantrell. It was wonderful to hear more about your agency!
******
And, now Dr. Rauner??? Now what say you??? From the article: “Newbon said Webster-Cantrell will try to place most of the staff from the shelter in new jobs but between eight and 10 employees would lose their job.” Crickets??? Were they only good for a photo op and a tweet-out?
Comment by Anon221 Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 11:51 am
To the update…
Props are used often to hide the true hopes of things like shutting the doors of a place highlighted by a person who called suing her husband a “business decision”
Some might call this trolling(?) by the Raunerite administration?
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 11:59 am
OW- I prefer “hostile takeover” rather than “trolling”.
Comment by Anon221 Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 12:02 pm
==one would hope that not too many wards are using this service==
Just because it’s not a good long term solution doesn’t mean it’s ok if it goes away. Yes, the goal is stabilization. The biggest goal is people who can take care of their children, but those programs have been lost over the years as well.
I temped for DCFS for 4 years and can tell you the good foster parents who are doing it out of the goodness of their hearts are sadly more scarce than we would have liked. And those were so over extended they were on waiting lists so as soon as 1 child was moved back home they had another coming in. Too many people did fostering for the money they get from the state, which many times didn’t make it to the children. We actually had to give out vouchers that were specifically for certain stores and specified “Clothing for (name)” or “bunk beds” just to be sure it was spent on that. We would get calls from these stores when the fosters would try to spend it on something else.
It’s terrible that we can’t get funding for our most vulnerable citizens because of politics. I mean, they can’t vote and it’s not in your back yard, so who cares, right?
Sorry, me and my kidney stone will go back to bed now.
Comment by HangingOn Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 12:02 pm
Listen to her words and think for a moment. What could happen if Dr. Rauner were as passionate and focused to promote social services other than The Ounce???
http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/An-Inside-Look-at-Renovations-for-the-Illinois-Executive-Mansion-425982613.html
Comment by Anon221 Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 1:30 pm
Demoralized-
Because DCFS is described as a primary client of this facility. If the slots aren’t being funded because of lack of utilization, then perhaps some of their permanency initiatives are working.
Comment by Cassandra Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 1:38 pm
Cassandra:
This isn’t about policy. It’s about a provider closing. I don’t care if it affects 1 person, it’s still a loss of services. Try focusing on that instead of your usual policy wonk discussions.
Comment by Demoralized Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 2:59 pm