Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Human Services to announce $30 million in state funding for Immigrant Welcoming Centers (IWC) across Illinois. The funds will be used to support members of immigrant communities facing challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund will be allocated with:
• $18 million in funding will go to housing and utility assistance
• $4.5 million will be used to support employment and job training services
• $4 million will be used to provide health care education
• $2 million will go to a multilingual effort to reach Illinois residents eligible to receive support
• $1.5 million will be used for technical assistance
“The Illinois Welcoming Centers have built trust with the community over several years of quality service and localized, culturally competent care. The State of Illinois is demonstrating strong leadership and equitable commitment by supporting us in uplifting the immigrant community at a time of dire need,”said Veronica Gloria, Executive Director, Spanish Community Center.
To be eligible for the cash assistance program, applicants must be an Illinois resident who has experienced a financial hardship due to the current health crisis. Information can be found at www.icirr.org/covidil or by texting “COVID” to 52886. Immigrant and refugee support services are available at 17 welcoming centers across Illinois. The goal of IWC is to improve services available to immigrants and refugees in Illinois and build the capacity of immigrant and refugee communities.
Immigrants are an integral part of Illinois’ diverse and thriving communities and make extensive contributions that benefit all. 1 in 6 workers in Illinois is an immigrant, and over 20% of all business owners in the Chicago metropolitan area are immigrants. As workers, business owners, taxpayers, and neighbors, immigration is good for Illinois.
Immigrants in Illinois have contributed billions of dollars in taxes:
• Immigrant-led households in the state paid $9.8 billion in federal taxes and $5.2 billion in state and local taxes in 2014.
• Undocumented immigrants in Illinois paid an estimated $758.9 million in state and local taxes in 2014. Their contribution would rise to over $917.4 million if they could receive legal status.
• DACA recipients in Illinois paid an estimated $131 million in state and local taxes in 2016.
As consumers, immigrants add tens of billions of dollars to Illinois’ economy:
• Illinois residents in immigrant-led households had $40.1 billion in spending power (after-tax income) in 2014.
Immigrant entrepreneurs in Illinois generate billions of dollars in business revenue:
• 119,404 immigrant business owners accounted for 21.3% of all self-employed Illinois residents in 2015 and generated more than $2.5 billion in business income.
• In 2015, immigrants accounted for 20.3% of business owners in the Chicago/Naperville/Joliet metropolitan area (which stretches from Wisconsin to Indiana through Illinois) and 6.5% of business owners in the St. Louis metro area (which straddles Illinois and Missouri).
In 2019, Chicago was named the most immigrant-friendly city in the United States.
Contact Godoy Law Office’s skilled immigration lawyers in Chicago, Lombard and Oak Brook. We can answer any questions about immigration and guide you through every step of the process.
Godoy Law Office serves the entire Chicago, Illinois area including DuPage, Cook, Kane, Will, and Lake Counties.
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