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For Immediate Release Contact:
20 February 2008
Marge Berglind, 312-819-1950
David Ormsby, 312-342-9638
New DCFS Budget Ignores Galloping Food Prices, Ballooning Foster
Parent Costs to Feed Foster Children, Advocates Say
Foster Parents Spend $281 Out-of-Pocket; Lang Pushes One-Time $24
Million Payment
Springfield, IL—Illinois’ leading statewide association for abused
and neglected children today criticized Governor Rod Blagojevich’s
proposed zero-growth child welfare budget as a "fiction" that ignores
escalating food prices borne by foster parents caring for the state’s
16,000 foster children.
"The Governor’s flat budget blatantly ignores that Illinois foster
families are facing the fastest-rising food prices
in 17 years," said Marge Berglind, CEO of Child Care
Association of Illinois.
"The Governor’s budget ignores that a dozen eggs are 38% more
expensive than last year, a gallon of milk 30% more expensive, a
pound-loaf of wheat bread, 24%," said Berglind. "All these price
increases are coming out of the pockets of foster parents."
"The flat budget is flat out fiction," said Berglind.
Berglind noted that foster parents have had only one increase in
seven years to pay expenses to feed, clothe, house, and transport
foster children.
"Despite last year’s 3.2% inflation rate, foster parents received
no increase," said Berglind.
Berglind noted, on average, an Illinois foster
parent spends $703 per month—of that $281 comes out of the foster
parent’s pocket.
Berglind cited a national report on
foster parent under-funding released last year by two national
organizations and the University of Maryland. The report said Illinois
average rates (for children 2, 9, and 16) were $380, $422, and $458
per month and they needed to be raised to $661, $757, and $830 to meet
actual costs.
To help offset the costs of surging food price inflation on
Illinois foster parents, State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), has
introduced legislation, House Bill 5095, to provide a one-time payment
this year of $24 million to the state’s [7,500] foster parents. The
payments would average $145 per foster parent.
"It’s an embarrassment that DCFS seeks volunteer foster parents to
care for abused and neglected children and then refuses to pay the
full cost of care," said Lang. "This one-time $24 million grant
attempts to address DCFS’ negligence."
State Senator Dan Cronin (R-Elmhurst) has introduced legislation,
Senate Bill 2361, that directs DCFS to work with voluntary foster care
providers and foster parents to establish a methodology for regularly
calculating and recalculating foster caregiver reimbursement rates.
"We applaud Rep. Lang and Sen. Cronin’s leadership and willingness
to address the state’s under-funding of foster children care," said
Berglind.
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