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According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the top five most disadvantaged Illinois counties include Alexander, Cook, Kankakee, Macon and Marion. (Adobe Stock)

Do work requirements 'work' to keep people out of poverty?

Members of the U.S. House Work and Welfare Subcommittee came to Illinois this month to drum up support for work requirements for anyone seeking …

In Illinois, 5.6% of Latino children do not have health insurance, compared to 4% of all children in the state. (Adobe Stock)

Illinois Sees 46% Spike in Number of Uninsured Kids

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Even during a time when the economy was notably strong, Illinois lost ground in ensuring children have access to health coverage…

Illinois estimates more than 400,000 residents will receive federal food benefits at least one month this year. (Gemma Billings/Flickr)

SNAP Change Opponent: Food Benefits Support Job Searches

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A change to eligibility for federal food assistance could affect hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans. Able bodied people …

Un reporte reciente dice que los ni�os rurales corren mayor riesgo con los recortes a Medicaid que los que viven en zonas urbanas. (V. Carter)

Los niños de zonas rurales de Illinois dependen de Medicaid

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – El acceso a tratamiento médico para niños con enfermedades y condiciones crónicas es un grave problema en …

La tasa de ni�os sin cobertura de salud en Illinois ha bajado 40 por ciento en dos a�os, de acuerdo a un reporte reciente.

Reporte dice que Illinois ha dado pasos gigantes en Asistencia para la Salud de los Niños

Springfield, Il - El 95 por ciento de los niños en los Estados Unidos ya tiene seguro medico. En un reporte reciente del Centro de la …

Changes to Medicare Part B are scheduled to take place this fall. (V. Carter)

Medicare Tackles Drug Costs

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Changes to the Medicare Part B program, called the Medicare Part B Drug Demo, are designed to lower the expenses connected …

More than 100 Illinois fast-food workers are in Virginia for the first-ever nationwide

IL Workers Join First-Ever National "Fight for $15" Convention

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Thousands of workers from across the country, including Illinois, have converged on Richmond, Virginia, this weekend to ramp up …

Illinois officials suspended overtime restrictions affecting about 8,000 Illinois home-care workers the same day as a class-action lawsuit was to be filed over the rules. (iStockphoto)

Home Care Advocates Claim Win as IL Overtime Restrictions on Hold

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Gov. Bruce Rauner reversed course on a no-overtime policy for workers who care for people living with disabilities…

Illinois ranks 21st among states in the latest national Kids Count Data Book. The research shows children of color continue to face serious challenges to education and other opportunities. (iStockphoto)

Report: African-American Children Lag Behind in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois is a mixed bag when it comes to children's well being, and a new report says there's plenty of work to do…

New numbers show Illinois lags behind most of the country in providing free or reduced cost summer meals for children from lower-income families. (Illinois State Board of Education)

Thousands of IL Kids Lack Summer Meals

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – About a third of all children in Illinois don't know where their next meal is coming from, and a new report says very few …

A new report from disability-rights advocates say Illinois new overtime cuts are limiting the independence and health-care options of those who rely on home-care services. (iStockphoto)

Report: IL Overtime Rules Cutting into Home-Care Services

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - New research shows people with disabilities and the people hired to care for them are facing problems due to Gov. Bruce Rauner's …

Many parents in Illinois and across the nation are facing serious challenges to accessing financial assistance for child care programs, according to a new report. (iStockphoto)

Report: Some IL Parents Experiencing Barriers to Child Care Assistance

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Wading through the paperwork involved in getting government help to pay for child care can be overwhelming to already …

As the Illinois budget impasse drags on, a group of activists releases its own budget plan, which the group says would put

Activists to Release IL Budget Plan at "Moral Monday" Protest

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A group of Illinois urban and rural public-policy activists holds a protest in Chicago today, to unveil what it calls a "People …

Illinois home-care workers could soon no longer be able log overtime hours, which advocates for seniors and people with disabilities say compromises both the workers and their clients. (iStockphoto)

Overtime Cuts Coming to IL Home-Care Providers

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Starting next week, thousands of people with disabilities and the home healthcare workers who assist them could be affected by …

Thousands of low-income and immigrant children in Illinois could lose health-insurance coverage if lawmakers do not extend the Covering All Kids Health Insurance Act. (iStockphoto)

IL Religious, Business Leaders Want Covering All Kids Insurance Renewed

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A coalition of religious, business and health-advocacy groups this week delivered a letter to Gov. Bruce Rauner and state …

A budget watchdog group says the Congressional Progressive Caucus's federal budget for FY 2017 could help bring more infrastructure jobs to Illinois. (iStockphoto)

Watchdog: House Budget Plan May Not Help IL Economy, Jobs

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – As Illinois continues to grapple with a higher-than-average unemployment rate, House lawmakers are debating their federal …

Local fast-food workers are joining in what they call the

IL Fast-Food Workers Join Global Minimum-Wage Protest

CHICAGO - Thousands of fast-food and other low-wage workers in about 300 cities across the globe, including Chicago, are joining in what they call …

Health advocates say Gov. Bruce Rauner's plan to overhaul Illinois' home and community care program could force thousands of seniors into nursing homes. (iStockphoto)

IL Lawmakers Considering Controversial Changes to Home Elder Care

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois lawmakers are taking a close look this week at proposed changes to the state's senior home care program that would …

Local groups, such as IIRON, have been working to create more equitable economic conditions for all Chicagoans. (Kristi Sanford/IIRON)

Report: Decades After Civil Rights, Chicago Still Segregated

CHICAGO – More than 50 years has passed since the Civil Rights Act became law, but a new report shows Chicago still has a serious residential …

A new report suggests several ways Illinois lawmakers can better help reduce the state's high unemployment and poverty rates. (iStockphoto)

Report: IL Anti-Poverty Policies Make Progress, Need More Work

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - State lawmakers have made some progress in recent years but could be doing a lot more to help people living in poverty in …

Low-income and workers' rights groups say Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget address is more of the same. (iStockphoto)

IL Unions, Low-Income Advocates Want More from Rauner

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Some unions, health-care workers and low-income advocacy groups are saying Gov. Bruce Rauner's second budget address is more of …

As Gov. Bruce Rauner is set to give his second budget address, a watchdog says the state budget is on autopilot. (iStockphoto)

Report: Illinois Budget on Autopilot

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - As the budget battle in Illinois continues, a government watchdog group says the state's finances have been running on "autopilot.…

Illinois activists say research shows taxpayers are subsidizing low-wage employers.(iStockphoto)

Illinois Activists Challenge Wal-Mart

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A group of Illinois community activists are continuing their push for the passage of a bill that would force large employers to …

While health care access has improved for low-income Illinois families, a new scorecard shows the state lagging behind in other areas. (iStockphoto)

Report: Illinois Economy Mixed Bag for Many Families

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Most economists agree that the U.S. is recovering from the Great Recession, but researchers also find many families are …

A new brief from the Annie E. Casey Foundation highlights the long-term importance of savings for low-income families, and suggests ways to improve their financial stability. (mconners/morguefile)

Helping Low-Income Families Save in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - As in many states, some Illinois families are still struggling in the wake of the Great Recession. A new policy brief from the …

A new study finds almost three-quarters of Illinois public housing authorities have closed waiting lists for housing vouchers.

Most Illinois Affordable-Housing Waitlists Closed

CHICAGO – Many Illinois families that need access to affordable housing are finding it more difficult this year to get on a waiting list for hou…

Thousands of Jobs to Disappear by the End of September

CHICAGO - More than 25,000 of the neediest residents of Illinois are scheduled to lose their newly found subsidized jobs by the end of the month…

ID Cards for Illegal Immigrants: A Good Thing?

President Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Wednesday criticized Arizona's law that makes failure to carry immigration documents a crime…

Supporters say EITC Boost Could Make Tax Time Less "Taxing" in IL

Springfield, IL – "Tax Day" is Wednesday, April 15, and some of Illinois' public policy groups are using the occasion to champion at least one …

Hope for the Holidays: Finding Strength During Dark Times

Chicago, IL - In movies and advertisements, the world is picture-perfect and the holiday season is a time of happiness. However, this year's real-…

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IL: Welfare Reform