Almost $1 million coming for 'long overdue' human service projects: Stadelman

Nearly $1 million in new state funding is headed to local human services providers for construction and accessibility projects that State Senator Steve Stadelman today deemed "much needed and long overdue."

Awards totalling $947,471 to 6 local agencies are among 70 statewide under the first-ever competitive Human Services Capital Investment Grant program, established to address infrastructure and accessibility needs in early childhood education, substance abuse and mental health treatment, homelessness prevention and developmental disability support.  Funding is through the six-year Rebuild Illinois capital spending legislation Stadelman supported in 2019. More than 450 organizations applied statewide for grants of $50,000 to $250,000.

 
"For far too long, our most vulnerable citizens have not been adequately supported. The dedicated non-profits who serve them are accustomed to vying for operational funds from government," Stadelman said. "But they have not previously had any opportunity to receive capital dollars to repair buildings and make them safe and accessible."
 
The local organizations that won grants are:
 

County - Organization Name

Funding Amount

 

  

WINNEBAGO

$947,471

Blackhawk Area Council, Boy Scouts of America

$148,000

Boys & Girls Club of Rockford

$246,458

Milestone, Inc.

$160,130

Regional Access & Mobilization Project, Inc.

$204,209

Supported Housing Management Corporation

$99,631

Youth Services Network

$89,043

 

  


In Rockford, the Boys & Girls Club will use its $246,458 to make life-safety and accessibility improvements at its Fairgrounds Unit that relocated to the former St. Paul Lutheran School in Kilburn Avenue in 2019. Upgrades there will include ceiling and emergency lighting replacement and remodeling to create a Group Room.

"This grant will allow us to make necessary improvements to our Fairgrounds location which will, in turn, provide an accessible, safe space and additional resources for the youth and neighborhood we serve," said Chip Stoner, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Rockford.

Harlem High School breaks ground on new tech wing
Stadelman secures $300,000 in state funds toward construction

State Senator Steve Stadelman joined local leaders this week to break ground on a 27,000-square-foot technology wing at Harlem High School. Stadelman secured $300,000 in state funding for the building addtion, where students will study automotive repair, construction, manufacturing, health care and culinary arts, among other career paths.

"The local, state and federal investment in this project is acknowledgement that public schools should serve all students in equal measure -- those who will pursue college degrees and those who will work in a wide variety of fields that are critical to our economy and quality of life," Stadelman said. "Students should be able to explore a range of career paths that will provide personal fulfillment and stable incomes to support families."

Construction is expected to last 18 months with classes to being in the additional in the fall of 2024. The new wing will house a welding lab and on-site health clinic for staff and their families, which Harlem officials anticipate will reduce job absences.

 

In case you missd me on Facebook ...

Steve Stadelman
April 19 at 8:02 PM

Congratulations to 2023 graduates of the Northern Illinois University College of Engineering at Rock Valley College, which allows students to earn a bachelor's degree on the RVC campus. Most of the students able to gather for a pizza party today plan to work in the Rockford region after receiving their diplomas May 17 in the traditional commencement ceremony on the DeKalb campus. During the pizza party, they posed with two of their NIU professors and Certificates of Recognition they received from the Illinois Senate!
 

Steve Stadelman
April 18 at 9:20 PM

Congratulations to Keri Asevedo and Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity on the launch today of its 35th construction season at Emerson Estates subdivision just west of Auburn High School. Six homes are being built there and two on Rockford's southeast side for families who qualified from more than 250 applicants. Vacant lots were acquired for $1,000 each through the Northern Illinois Land Bank Authority, which was established in 2019 as a result of legislation I'm proud to have sponsored.