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Governor Quinn warns of layoffs at local agencies
Posted: 06.02.2009 at 9:22 AM
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Less funds for elderly home care and drug addiction treatment

(Quincy, Ill.)  A local lawmaker says Illinois' unbalanced budget will ultimately hurt senior citizens.

And Representative Jil Tracy says that's not all.

She says many programs are at stake.

That could mean less funding for programs for people with mental illnesses, developmental disabilities as well as care programs for senior citizens.

KHQA Jarod Wells checked in with a local senior citizen care center to see just how much it would be affected.

If no changes are made to the budget proposed in the latest Illinois legislative session, some senior citizens may not have any where to go.  The Adult Day Care at the Quincy Senior and Family Resource Center is one of the programs that would receive less funding from the state in the current budget.

"Our agency receives about 70% of our funding from the state of Illinois," said Brenda Fleming.

Brenda Fleming serves as Director of case coordination for the West Central Area Agency on Aging. She says the current budget also could financially hurt the in-home senior care. There are about 500 seniors in the agency's 6 county service area who receive care.

"Most of our seniors in our area live in very rural places," said Fleming.  They might not have any contact with any family, they might not be able to get their groceries. They might not be able to prepare their own meals or even get up in the morning to get dressed."

The cuts and reductions would take effect July 1st. Fleming doesn't think her agency would lose all of its funding, but it will still change the services seniors receive.

"Maybe the amount of in-home care that they get or the type of in home care that they get," Fleming.

Fleming says she knows the services her agency offers will not be able to remain the same, but she hopes any changes will only be small tweaks to make them more efficient.

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