On Nov. 6, Chuck Sweeney’s column in the Rockford Register-Star – “Lawmakers know what to do; I doubt they do it” – suggests: “Instead of starving nonprofit agencies that provide a myriad of services on the state’s behalf, Illinois the state should rely more on nonprofits like Rosecrance and Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. Because they have other sources of funding, and frequently have a higher calling, they provide more bang for the buck than state agencies can.”
On Nov. 1, the Daily Herald(northwest Chicago suburbs) published an article, “Lutheran Social Services to honor former Arlington pastor,” about the Nov. 12 Amicus Certus Celebration, which honored former LSSI president Rev. Frederick Aigner.
In an interview aired by the Public News Service on Oct. 26, LSSI’s Tim Sheehan spoke on the effect that Illinois’ slow bill payment is having on substance abuse and mental health treatment. In “State's Late Payments, Budget Cuts Squeeze the Vulnerable in IL,” he says LSSI is cutting staff and cutting back on services, even as the need increases. “[The people who need help] are going to go somewhere. But they're just going to receive very expensive care in other places, as opposed to less expensive care with us,” he says.
In mid-October, the “Deadbeat Illinois” series written by Associated Press (AP) reporters included an article focusing on nonprofits, which appeared in newspapers such as the Oct. 18 Standard Journal-Register in Springfield: “Human services groups improvise as state funding falls behind.” In the article, Pr. Denver Bitner, president/CEO of LSSI, said that being in constant contact with the agency is the “only effective thing” to getting bills paid. “We have consistently had a letter of hardship, that’s what you have to do. That’s the only way you’ll be paid.” In other articles, he was quoted as saying: “Some in the state seem to think the things we do are an option. These are not optional kinds of things. To cut services is to turn a blind eye to the most needy.”
