For the last two years on any given day, news coming out of Springfield initiates hard conversations with many stakeholders on, “How is EP!C surviving without a state budget and no funding?” I start off that conversation telling them that we are getting funding based on 2008 rates. This is because our services fall under one of the Court monitored Consent Decrees (Ligas legal settlement) requiring the state continue to pay agencies like EP!C. 76 % of EP!C’s total revenue comes from our contracts with the State. Here is the dire reality of the situation – if they were to stop paying completely, as they did for many other Human Service organizations, EP!C, could only continue to provide vital services for an estimated FOUR months.
This is not acceptable. EP!C plans to offer a number of small group town hall meetings for our stakeholders (people receiving EP!C services, Families, Guardians, Staff, Friends and Advocates) through the month of June 2017. We will briefly review our contract for services with the State of Illinois and information on the status of funding now and into the future for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We need all our stakeholders to be well informed on funding for people with disabilities in Illinois and what we can do together to protect the rights of people with disabilities to live, work and participate in the communities of their choice.
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