Partners For Hope Program (PFH)
Youth and Adult Services
Division of Community Health & Prevention
Illinois Department of Human Services
Program Description
Target
The Partners for Hope (PFH) program targets the faith-based community in Illinois.
Purpose
The purpose of the Partners for Hope program is to build strong partnerships between state agencies and faith-based organizations, with the following specific goals:
- Increase an ethic of service and volunteerism in the state of Illinois;
- Increase the capacity of faith-based organizations within the state to better compete for funding opportunities; and
- Increase collaboration among the people and organizations that are trying to meet the greatest social service needs of our state.
Services
- Work with both state agencies and faith-based organizations to raise awareness of the federal charitable choice mandate, which allows the use of certain government funds to purchase social services from religious organizations.
- Work with state agencies to make all necessary changes to actively engage in collaborative efforts with faith-based organizations for the provision of social services on the same basis as other non-governmental providers, using neutral criteria that neither favor nor disfavor religion, to the fullest extent permitted under the law.
- Take all necessary steps to implement the charitable choice provisions of the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, the Welfare-to-Work grant program, the Community Services Block Grant program, the Community Renewal Tax Relief Act, and any current or future legislation adopting a charitable choice provision.
- Take affirmative steps prescribed by the charitable choice provision of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act to respect the religious integrity and the functional autonomy of participating faith-based social service providers and the religious freedom of their beneficiaries.
- Develop a mechanism in the state of Illinois to link faith-based organizations with the various departments of state government; and
- Serve as a primary point of contact for faith-based organizations seeking to partner with state government for funding opportunities, program development, etc.
Delivery Method
PFH delivers services through workshops, conference presentations and one-on-one consultation.
Program Data
|
SFY07 |
SFY08 |
SFY09 |
SFY10 |
| Program Expenditures (Numbers in 000's) |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
| Number of Grantees |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| Number Served |
2,500 |
3,500 |
2,500 |
2,000 |
Program Effectiveness
The PFH program has succeeded in increasing the number of faith-based organizations interfacing with IDHS.
- Worked to achieve integration into the discussions and activities of the Serve Illinois Commission.
- Administered PFH questionnaire to the Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (FBCI) offices of Virginia, Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas, Ohio, and Indiana and conducted evaluation of their offices and functions.
- Contacted all associates listed in PFH database via telephone, email, or mail.
- Developed a Partners for Hope newsletter, The Messenger.
- Developed Partners for Hope brochure, The Messenger.
- Created PFH training presentation and strategy plan.
- Developed list of federal funding opportunities for the Department's PFH web page.
