AGENDA and MINUTES - Pillar 5 subcommittee meeting, September 16, 2025

Illinois Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security

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

Meeting Agenda and Minutes

Tuesday, September 16, 2025 at 2-3:00 PM

Recording

Agenda:

  1. Welcome Roll Call
  2. Public Comment - subject to written comment in advance
  3. Approval of Meeting Minutes: November 14, 2024, March 21, 2025 and June 20, 2025
  4. Special Presentation - Impacts of budget cuts on community-based providers - Lauren Wright, Illinois Partners for Human Services
  5. New Business
  6. Next meeting - Tuesday, December 16, 2025, 1-2 PM
  7. Adjournment

Minutes:

Subcommittee members present:

  1. Lauren Wright - Chairperson
  2. Al Llorens - Commission member
  3. Rev. Dwight Ford - Commission member
  4. Amy Brennan - public member
  5. Courtney Hedderman - public member
  6. Lesley Schwartz - IDHS SME

Subcommittee members absent:

  1. Juan Calderon - Commission member
  2. Senator Kimberly Lightford - Commission member
  3. Janice Phillips - IDPH, IWGP member
  4. Jennifer Hebel - public member
  5. Deborah Ward-Mitchell - public member
  6. Becky Salazar - public member
  7. Meredith Byers - public member
  8. Jennifer Gentile - IDHS-SME
  9. Phillis Johnson-Haywood - IDHS SME

Guests: Elizabeth Vogt, Chief of Staff, IDoA (representing Jennifer Hebel)

Administrator: Priya Khatkhate, IDHS-Deputy for Programs

Facilitator: Kaitlin Devaney - Institute of Research on Race and Public Policy (IRRPP)

  1. Welcome/Roll Call - led by Administrator Khatkhate.
  2. Public Comment - subject to written comment in advance; none received.
  3. Approval of Meeting Minutes from November 14, 2024, March 21, 2025 and June 20, 2025 - postponed due to lack of quorum.
  4. Special Presentation - Federal Changes, Community Consequences: The State of Human Services in Illinois (Quarter 1 report: Bracing for Impact), Lauren Wright, Illinois Partners for Human Services
    • Illinois Partners conducts research among community-based providers which are part of their coalition. They will be releasing a series of quarterly reports over the next fiscal year to understand the impact of federal changes on communities and community-based providers across the state.
    • Some community-based providers are being impacted in real time such as those serving immigrant populations. Not all organizations are affected in the same way or equally by federal actions.
    • Illinois Partners' first survey (quarter 1) was the baseline survey with 74 participating organizations and reflects organizational information from January to June. The report was released in June/July.
    • 82% of the participating organizations receive either direct or pass through a federal funding; 35% of respondent operating budgets, on average come from federal funding; and 19% report a decrease in direct federal funding since January 2025.
    • 97% of respondents were concerned with how executive actions have or will affect their organizations with the highest concerns on federal staff reductions, DEI and immigration reforms. Predominant concerns were also on health, food security, impact on employees who uses public benefits and increased administrative burden. A more in depth look on the impacts of proposed cuts on SNAP and Medicaid will be seen on the next quarter report.
    • Most of the responses on how the state should respond to the federal changes were framed as continuing what the state is doing right now. Providers also want the state to be up front about what programs won't be able to be funded in the coming year so they can plan accordingly.
    • For the next quarter, some foundational questions will remain; there will be additional questions that will take a deeper dive on specific topics. The survey will go out to the same respondents.
    • Respondents also mentioned a direct connection to rigidity and funding and administrative burden; they would like flexibility in funding or be able to access funding that meets the need of the moment. Further, if there will be budget cuts, they prefer to know it sooner so they can plan ahead.
    • Ms. Elizabeth Vogt shared about the Multisector Plan for Aging and that the Department of Aging has hired Ms. Michelle Hoersch as the MSP for Aging Chief. The plan will be submitted to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 31st. One of the focus areas of the plan is investing in caregivers.
  5. Next meeting - Tuesday, December 16, 2025, 1-2 PM
    • Some subcommittee meetings may be combined due to some focus/goals being interconnected/overlapping. Members will be informed in advance.
  6. Adjournment - the meeting ended at 2:55 PM.