SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Graciela Guzmán spoke at a press conference Wednesday to advocate for her measure to boost funding to human services organizations.

“I come to this work not just as a legislator, but as someone whose family and community have relied on human services to survive and to heal,” said Guzmán (D-Chicago). “I have seen what happens when care is delayed, when programs are understaffed, and when the people doing the most essential work are stretched past their limits.”

More than 350,000 human service workers support communities across Illinois. Yet workers need an average of over $2,000 more per month just to cover basic needs. Inflation has increased nearly 25% since 2020, but wages have not kept pace. When providers cannot recruit or retain staff, this has an immediate impact on families who are being serviced.

Senate Bill 2883 would assist wages by closing that long-standing 25% funding gap through a structured agency lookback and phased increases, and would protect existing programs from cuts during implementation. Further, it would create a Director of Human Services Wage Equity to ensure accountability, and would tie future increases to the cost of living so that mistakes are not repeated year after year.

“This bill matters to me because it is about dignity,” said Guzmán.  “It is about whether we treat care as essential infrastructure, not charity.”

Senate Bill 2883 is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Appropriations – Health and Human Services Committee.