AGENDA and MINUTES - Pillar 1 Subcommittee Meeting March 5, 2025

Illinois Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security

Subcommittee on Pillar 1: Ensure IL is Best in Nation for Raising Families

Meeting Agenda and Minutes

Wednesday, March 5, 2025 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Recording

Agenda:

  1. Welcome/Roll Call
  2. Public Comment - subject to written comment in advance
  3. Approval of Meeting Minutes: October 31, 2024
  4. IRRPP Presentation: Food Access Report Findings
  5. Comment from Subcommittee Members: Legislative Opportunities; Service and Program Threats and Challenges
  6. Next Steps
    1. Schedule of meetings
      1. Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 11 AM - 12 PM
      2. Wednesday, September 3, 2025, 11 AM - 12 PM
      3. Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 11 AM - 12 PM
  7. Adjournment

Subcommittee members in attendance:

  1. Sophie Milam - Subcommittee chair
  2. Kimberly Tate - representing Senator Kimberly Lightford (Commission member)
  3. Annie Hewitt - Commission member
  4. Rev. Dwight Ford - Commission member
  5. Jennifer Saba - IWGP member
  6. Stephanie Bess - IDHS-SME
  7. Patricia Rooney - IDHS-SME
  8. Lisa Cohen - IDHS-SME

Administrator: Priya Khatkhate, IDHS-Chief Policy Officer

Facilitators/Guests:

  1. Kaitlin Devaney - Institute of Research on Race and Public Policy (IRRPP)
  2. Nancy Toure - IRRPP
  3. Rev. Dr. Beth Johnson - Minister, Hinsdale; Member, Coordinating Committee for the Illinois Poor Peoples Campaign; Member, Board of Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of Illinois
  4. Bruce Perry - Member, Coordinating Committee for the Illinois Poor Peoples Campaign; Organizer, Illinois Union of the Homeless

Minutes:

  1. Welcome/Roll Call - eight members were present out of 10. Chair Milam declared quorum.
  2. Public Comment - subject to written comment in advance; none received.
  3. Approval of Meeting Minutes: October 31, 2024 - Chair Milam moved to approve the October 31st meeting minutes, seconded by Rev. Ford. The group unanimously approved the October 31st meeting minutes.
    • IRRPP Presentation: Food Access Report Findings - Kaitlin Devaney
    • IRRPP partnered with the Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness (IOPEH) to collect data on how unhoused people in Illinois are accessing food.
    • Data collection and analysis are done, IRRPP is writing and finalizing report.
    • 159 participants from 7 sites were surveyed.
    • Respondents were also surveyed about SNAP benefits as well as how they are treated by service providers.
    • Service providers were also interviewed.
    • Chair Milam conformed with some of the findings of the study including the impact of fund sources to the experiences of consumers on the ground as well as the need for some providers to require documentation from consumers mostly due to the availability of resources.
    • Mr. Bruce Perry stated that the results also conform with their experiences in the Union of the Homeless particularly the findings on transportation and health concerns. Though he noted that the providers surveyed where in fixed locations whereas there are providers who deliver food to different encampments that they serve.
    • Rev. Ford asked if there were children participants in the study. Ms. Devaney said that though one of the locations were for families particularly those who suffered domestic abuse, most of the participants tended to be more individual in their unhoused experience rather than people with families which might be due to the study's methodological approach.
    • Rev. Ford shared that there are a lot of unhoused children who are food insecure downstate. And thinking of dissemination of the study, the natural partners would include the food bank networks, Community Action Agencies because of their commitment to impoverished communities, COCs because of their commitment to run homeless shelters and the locality can bring these together as a panel. School districts who are interested could be included.
    • Ms. Devaney shared that the research team has a dissemination plan and it includes traveling downstate to visit the places where the team went originally. They will also create something for the participants like a one pager that highlights the findings and enumerates available resources.
    • Chair Milam is planning to do a webinar for the Illinois Commission in Hunger to highlight the learnings from the report as well as do an introduction to the Statewide Network of Feeding America Food Banks.
  4. Comment from Subcommittee Members: Legislative Opportunities; Service and Program Threats and Challenges
    1. Current legislative initiatives - Kim Tate
      1. SB 2392: Creates the Illinois Guaranteed Income Fund as a special fund in the State treasury that is administered by the Department of Human Services. DHS shall provide grants to eligible entities for the purpose of operating pilot programs, programs, or projects that provide a guaranteed income to participants.
      2. SB 2466: Amends the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Act (OSLAD) by defining the metrics used to determine a distressed community and distressed location, and setting funding floors and ceilings for grants directed at said communities and locations
      3. SB 1857: Eliminates restrictions that previously limited the Victims of Trafficking, Torture, or Other Serious Crimes Program to SNAP funding. Additionally, it removes language that barred individuals in this program from receiving SNAP benefits if they live in an institution or setting where most of their daily meals are provided.
      4. SB 1751: Requires the State to supplement SNAP benefits so that every eligible household receives at least $75 per month. If a household's federal SNAP benefit is less than $75, the State will cover the difference to bring their total monthly benefit up to that amount.
      5. SB 1223: Prohibits medical creditors and medical debt collectors from communicating with patients or from initiating a lawsuit against a patient regarding unpaid charges for services who has, or had, a pending appeal of a health insurance decision within the previous 180 days. It also prohibits a medical creditor who should have known about the appeal from selling the debt to a medical debt buyer within those 180 days.
      6. SB 2471: Removes the income and asset limits for the Health Benefits for Workers with Disabilities program.
      7. SB 1388: Provides that by December 31, 2025, the Regional Transit Authority, the Chicago Transit Authority, PACE, and Metra shall create a program to provide free rides to persons earning under 138% of the federal poverty level.
    2. Local legislative initiatives - Rev. Ford
      1. Clean Slate Act - seals five of the crimes that are labeled unsealable which is violence against women and children, animals, arson and DUI, which could give opportunity for those to get back into the workforce a lot quicker.
      2. Community Healing Resource Centers - does a lot of work on trauma, restorative justice circles, involves the community, creates a continuum of care in areas that are highly impacted by gun violence.
      3. Faith-based engagement - faith institutions play a vital part in working with and engaging those in deep poverty.
    3. WIC - Stephanie Bess
      • The WIC caseload continues to go up; the value of the WIC food package goes up every time the cost of eggs goes up.
      • The IDHS-WIC office and vendors are watching closely the WIC budget; WIC is currently on a continuing resolution in federal FY25 and was extended in December through March and they are watching closely to see if there is a full and final federal budget for federal FY25. According to the National WIC Association and others, it is not looking good for a full budget.
      • One possibility is a continuing resolution through the federal year through September 30 which could leave the program completely flat funded from the prior year. Flat funding can be considered a cut because the caseload is growing and food costs are going up.
      • However, there are funds in place that will get the programs through March if a federal shutdown would happen but funds are still needed to maintain the program.
      • According to the Nation WIC Association, the whole nation needs an additional $570 million budget to keep the program at its current status.
      • Another issue is adjunctive eligibility. In Illinois, anybody with an active Title 19 Medicaid case can be eligible for WIC. Changes in Medicaid expansion can drastically reduce the potential number of people who needs the program and increase the time it takes to sign people up to the program.
  5. Next Steps
    1. Schedule of meetings
      1. Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 11 AM - 12 PM
      2. Wednesday, September 3, 2025, 11 AM - 12 PM
      3. Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 11 AM - 12 PM
  6. Adjournment - Chair Milam moved to adjourn the meeting seconded by Ms. Jen Saba. The group unanimously agreed to adjourn the meeting at 11:59 AM.