Skateboarding has long been considered a sport, an art form and even a lifestyle by its devotees. In Chicago, a new program has helped young people break out of the pandemic blues by learning the basics of skateboarding while picking up valuable life lessons along the way.
social service agencies
Meet Elizabeth Morales, a 29-year-old teacher and community service organizer who is working to support local families and individuals struggling with food and housing insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic.
Chicago officials on Tuesday announced $8 million in grants for expanded mental health care services across the city, including for some of Chicago’s most vulnerable residents: those experiencing homelessness.
We check in with Corazon Community Services in suburban Cicero, which works with about 400 teenagers every month, offering after-school programs and community events focused on violence prevention and education.
On Chicago’s West Side, an artist-run production weaving mill and a social service agency work together to weave adults with intellectual disabilities into the fabric of their community.
“The impact it had on people will likely last for far more than two years, and not just from the past two years but also going into the future,” said Mitch Lifson, one of the report’s co-authors.
Nine out of 10 social services agencies said they were unable to raise 25 percent or more of the funding owed to them by the state, according to a new survey.
![Andrea Durbin: "Collectively [the agencies] are owed over $100 million to date. That number grows every day. We're just trying to be paid for the work we've done."](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/json_lg/public/field/image/r_service%20provider%20lawsuit_C0002_frame_4118.jpg "Andrea Durbin: \"Collectively [the agencies] are owed over $100 million to date. That number grows every day. We're just trying to be paid for the work we've done.\"")
On Wednesday, a coalition of 64 Illinois-based human and social service agencies and companies filed a lawsuit against Gov. Bruce Rauner and the directors of six statewide agencies seeking payment for work performed since July 1, 2015.
Measure Called a 'Lifeline' for Social Services
State Republican leaders unveiled a $1.3 billion spending plan Thursday that they say will be a “lifeline” for social services and other programs that have struggled financially in the ongoing budget impasse.
State lawmakers return to Springfield this week to vote on a number of measures, but not on the agenda is the No. 1 topic of discussion—the state budget that should have gone into effect last year.
