You can take action on this alert by reading the information below and following the directions at the bottom.

Call Your State Representative In Support of a Responsible Budget

Our message:

1. We need a responsible budget, so our efforts to end homelessness and ensure all Illinoisans have safe affordable housing do not continue to be hurt by devastating budget cuts.

2. We need a real budget solution like HB174--a plan to raise the revenue Illinois needs to stop cuts, make the tax system fairer and fully fund essential services like homeless prevention, emergency shelters, and supportive housing.

Background Information

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn released his fiscal year 2011 budget proposal on March 10. He proposed over $2 billion in cuts, including $1.3 billion in education cuts. Although not included in his formal proposal, Governor Quinn is advocating for a 1% increase in the income tax (from 3 to 4%) as a way to avoid the education cuts in his proposal.

While Governor Quinn deserves credit for acknowledging the need for revenue increases, his proposal falls far short of what is needed. Members of the Responsible Budget Coalition are advocating for a budget that prevents harmful cuts to essential public services, saves jobs, eliminates the state's long-term structural deficit, and makes taxes fairer. More information is available at http://www.abetterillinois.com.

For housing-related line items, Governor Quinn's proposal mostly continues the patterns of cuts over the last few years. The budget proposal maintains the 78% cut for the Homeless Prevention Program and proposes additional cuts for the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program and the Homeless Youth Program.

In addition to the call-in day, the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness, the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Housing Action Illinois and the Supportive Housing Providers Association are holding a breakfast reception and a lobby day at the State Capitol in support of a responsible budget. We are also releasing a report on the impact of the state budget crisis on housing and homelessness that is available http://www.housingactionil.org.

Your message will be sent to each of the following targets:

Your State Representative

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This Action Alert Campaign is Closed.