AGENDA and MINUTES - Pillar 5 subcommittee meeting, February 7, 2024

Subcommittee on Pillar 5: Support Trusted Community Based Providers to Serve the Needs of those In Deep Poverty

Wednesday, February 7, 2024, 2:00-3:00 PM

Recording

Members:

Appointment Member Affiliation
Public Member Lauren Wright (Chairperson) Executive Director, Illinois Partners for Human Services
Commission Member Albert Llorens Vice President, Board of Directors, Illinois Education Association
Commission Member Jason Mckinnies Senior Pastor, Southern Illinois Worship Center
Commission Member Juan Calderon Chief Operating Officer, The Puerto Rican Cultural Center
Commission Member Senator Kimberly Lightford Illinois State Senator
IWGP Member Jennifer Hebel Special Assistant for Research, Illinois Department on Aging
IWGP Member Dr. Janice Phillips Assistant Director, Illinois Department of Public Health
Public Member Meredith Byers UniServ Director, Illinois Education Association
Public Member Becky Salazar Executive Director, Egyptian Area Agency on Aging
Public Member Deborah Ward-Mitchell Assistant Director, Infant Care Center District 205, National Education Association
Public Member Amy Brennan Executive Director, Illinois Family Caregiver Association
Public Member Courtney Hedderman Senior Associate State Director, Advocacy & Outreach, AARP
Public Member Mary Anderson Director of Advocacy and Research, AARP
Public member/IDHS SMEs Jennifer Gentile Deputy Director, Bureau of Clinical Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities
Public member/IDHS SMEs Lesley Schwartz Bureau Chief, Early Childhood Development, DEC
Public member/IDHS SMEs Letitia Doe DRS-ICRE Roosevelt-Superintendent
Public member/IDHS SMEs Phillis Johnson Haywood DRS-Vocational Rehab Counselor

Administrator: Priya Khatkhate, IDHS-Chief Policy Officer

Facilitators:

  1. Matthew Rodriguez - Institute of Research on Race and Public Policy (IRRPP)
  2. Ni'Shele Jackson - IRRPP

Agenda:

  1. Introductions/Welcome Roll Call
    • Introduction of new members
  2. Public Comment - subject to written comment in advance
  3. Approval of Meeting Minutes: October 11, 2023 and November 6, 2023
  4. Review of Goals and Collective Input
  5. Discussion and Breakout session - workgroups discuss accomplishments and updates on gaps
    1. Workgroup 1/Goal 1
    2. Workgroup 2/Goal 2
    3. Workgroup 3/Goal 3
  6. Report Back
  7. Next Steps and Adjournment

Minutes

Subcommittee members in attendance:

  1. Lauren Wright - Chairperson
  2. Juan Calderon - Commission member
  3. Kimberly Tate - representative of Senator Kimberly Lightford, Commission member
  4. Dr. Janice Phillips - IWGP member
  5. Amy Brennan - public member
  6. Courtney Hedderman - public member
  7. Lesley Schwartz - IDHS SME/public member
  8. Jennifer Gentile - IDHS SME/public member
  9. Letitia Doe - IDHS SME/public member

Administrator: Priya Khatkhate, IDHS-Chief Policy Officer

Facilitator:

  1. Matthew Rodriguez - Institute of Research on Race and Public Policy (IRRPP)
  2. Ni'Shele Jackson - IRRPP

Minutes

  1. Introductions/Welcome/Roll Call
    • Chair Wright welcomed members and new members, Ms. Amy Brennan, Executive Director of Illinois Family Caregiver Association and Ms. Courtney Hedderman, Senior Associate State Director for Advocacy & Outreach at AARP.
    • Chair Wright also mentioned the change in DHS leadership, Dana Kelly is replaced by Priya Khatkhate as the DHS liaison for the Poverty Commission.
    • Members introduced themselves as well as facilitators, Matthew Rodriguez and Nancy Toure and admin support Len Conant.
    • Out of 17 members, 9 were present. Quorum was declared.
  2. Public Comment - subject to written comment in advance, none received.
  3. Approval of Meeting Minutes: October 11, 2023 and November 6, 2023
    • Dr. Janice Phillips moved to approve the October 11, 2023 minutes seconded by Ms. Lesley Schwartz. The group unanimously approved the October 11, 2023 minutes.
    • Ms. Schwartz moved to approve the November 6, 2023 minutes seconded by Chair Wright. The group unanimously approved the November 6, 2023 minutes.
  4. Review of Goals and Collective Input
    • Mr. Rodriguez gave an overview of the Poverty Commission statutory goals as well as an overview of Pillar 5 for the information of the new members.
    • Pillar 5 centers on supporting trusted community-based providers to serve the needs of those in deep poverty. The main strategies are:
      1. Support our caregiving workforce by ensuring equitable wages and develop meaningful supports for unpaid caregivers; and
      2. Provide community-based providers with consistent and equitable access to state funding that adequately keeps pace with rising costs.
    • Mr. Rodriguez shared a document which showed the FY24 goals of Pillar 5 and the work that have been done so far for each goal.
  5. Discussion
    1. Goal 1 - Create an integrated network of trusted community-based providers who serve those experiencing deep poverty to ensure ongoing stakeholder engagement, practice sharing, and regular dissemination of opportunities
      • Per agreement during the previous meeting, a map was provided that shows regions in Illinois that have been identified as deep poverty areas.
      • Lauren and Priya will work to identify which providers with DHS contracts are working in those poverty areas and cross-reference it with the list from Lauren's organization.
      • Next step is maybe identifying how would IDHS in particular, share opportunities with the integrated network.
      • Chair Wright would like to have a tangible list and one listening session conducted with providers working in deep poverty areas by June 2024 if possible, considering time and availability of members.
      • Dr. Phillips wondered if providers can be individuals working inside of schools that are located in poverty communities who are providing vocational training and whether there are any early intervention or any model programs where people are working with high school students for vocational training opportunities before they even graduate.
      • Chair Wright's organization is actually working with one organization, Color, Inc., that is partnered with DHS and specifically does vocational and workforce-related training with youth. Illinois Partners for Human Services is working with the provider around improving contracting and other aspects of their partnership with IDHS.
      • There are a lot of organizations that receive multiple grants from IDHS so it will be important to identify who is and who is not on the table and what services they are providing.
      • It is also important to identify community-based organizations that may not have access to state funds but are working and trusted in the community.
      • Ms. Amy Brennan suggested to consider other providers that have contract with other state agencies like DoA, DPH, Veterans Affairs, CFS, etc. Per Chair Wright, this might be captured from the list that would be coming from Illinois Partners for Human Services. Though are other providers who might not be on the list, and considering the time period for this goal, the group can continue building and growing the network out.
      • Dr. Phillips mentioned that when talking about sharing NOFOs, newcomers or those who has never engaged in the grant process can also be advised that there are educational or supportive workshops for them as well.
      • Mr. Juan Calderon also shared that the Secretary of State will list all non-profit organizations in Illinois that are in good standing. He also suggested to ask the Black and Latino Caucus, the Asian Caucus to see if they know of smaller relevant organizations that can be and should be included on the list.
      • Mr. Calderon also raised the importance of, and possibly set as a subcommittee goal, identifying ways to increase support to non-profit organizations and so possibly ask IDHS (and elected officials) for data on how they increase capacity of these organizations that are doing great work in serving people in deep poverty. He cited SB1833 as an example that focused on how departments invest into communities that have been disinvested generationally and historically.
      • Ms. Schwarts also suggested thinking of ways to utilize these organizations to engage with the families who are experiencing deep poverty so as to hear from them directly.
    2. Goal 2 - continue scheduling meetings, having conversations and increased awareness of key decision-makers to ensure sustained caregiving funding
      • Ms. Brennan shared that there is a Illinois Family Caregiver Act that was passed 20 years ago but no funding. The Act basically mirrors some of the older American Acts that help unpaid family caregivers of older adults and individuals with disabilities from age 18 and up.
      • Two years ago, the Act was passed with a $4 million funding which increased to $5 million last year. Eligible providers can work with their area agencies on aging which is listed at the Illinois Permanent Aging Website.
      • The budget ask for this year is to increase the funding to $6 million to serve more unpaid family caregivers. Ms. Brennan can send to Chair Wright the one page fact sheet from the Illinois Association of Area Agencies on Aging.
      • Ms. Courtney Hedderman of AARP also shared that AARP has been doing research in the counties of Cook, DuPage, Madison, Effingham and Peoria about caregiver and care recipient experiences, whether they are receiving home support or community-based services and whether they were in a institutionalized facility, nursing home or assisted living. AARP is 2 weeks away from publishing their findings/report which will be titled Pathways to Care.
      • One of the major findings of the research is that caregivers, in situations like somebody is discharged from a hospital, they don't know what to do e.g. are they going home, what kind of supports they will need or will they put them in a facility and what facility, but they have to make a decision within a limited timeframe putting them in a crisis. They might find a telephone number in a website but they don't know what to ask. They don't know what to look for whether it's finance or maybe cultural competencies, etc.
      • There are 2 pieces of legislations/solutions that AARP is proposing in their findings. These have both been filed and Sen. Moeller is AARP's sponsor.
        1. A caregiver tax credit which was ran last year in the General Assembly but did not go anywhere. There is already a federal Tax Credit for Unpaid Family Caregivers that is pending in Congress which mirrors conversation at the federal level.
        2. A physical location for a one-stop shop or portal or a hub where caregivers can access information they need whether they are just starting their caregiving journey, or they are in the middle of it or at the end.
      • AARP will be doing a conversation with different stakeholder agencies and organizations to share their findings.
      • Ms. Hedderman will be sending information e.g. fact sheets, bill numbers, etc. to the group.
      • Ms. Brennan also mentioned that the Area Agencies on Aging are introducing this year the Grandparents Raising their Grandchildren - Senate Bill 1278 which will be included in the fact sheet that she will send to Chair Wright.
      • Kim Tate shared that Bill 1278 passed the Health and Human Services Committee yesterday.
    3. Goal 3 - Support IDHS in beginning to comprehensively assess state contracts and recommend increased equitable funding to community-based organizations serving underrepresented communities
      • Illinois Partners has a piece of legislation, the Human Services Equitable Pay Act which they will be pushing in the upcoming legislative session which is asking the state to do an analysis of equitable pay and particularly pay gaps that community-based providers are experiencing based on the way that state contracts. Illinois Partner is just waiting on a bill number.
  6. Next Steps and Adjournment
    • Chair Wright will draft a letter addressed to legislators outlining the initiatives and recommendation of Pillar 5 that will be circulated among the members for inputs and then will be forwarded to the full Commission. Matthew will share with Chair Wright the WIC letter that was approved by the Commission and sent to the legislators.
    • Chair Wright, Priya and Matthew will reconvene to talk about tangible next steps.
    • The group unanimously agreed to adjourn the meeting at 3:02 PM.