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What's New
PUNS Forum presented by Champaign County Regional
Planning Commission on Thursday May 8, 2008 at the
Watseka Public Library from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM.
Read more
Senior Calendar for May 2008 is now available.
Read more
Urbana-Champaign Continuum of Care releases
Homelessness Survey Data for January 2007.
Read more
CCRPC Social Services Division
Social Services
Champaign County Regional Planning Commission
1776 E. Washington St.
P.O. Box 17760, Urbana, IL 61803
Voice: (217) 328-3313
FAX: (217) 328-2426
Web: www.ccrpc.org/socialservices/socialservices.php
Email: Staff contact information
The CCRPC Social Services Division is a Community Action Agency supporting the well-being and quality of life for at-risk, low-income and underserved residents of our defined services areas. We provide effective and meaningful services to increase self-sufficiency of these populations and are committed to efficient services through regional leadership in interagency cooperation.
The CCRPC Social Services Division:
- Anticipates and addresses community needs
- Has effective and efficient work processes that provide quality services
- Has a professional, pleasant work environment
- Has an excellent community reputation
Program Purpose Statements:
CSBG
Scholarship Program - provides scholarship assistance annually to several low-income Champaign County residents to help pay for tuition, books, or other costs associated with their education at a post-secondary institution in Illinois.
Court
Diversion Services (CDS) - provides services for first time youth offenders through management of the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program and Circle Mediation. The program offers an opportunity for youth to learn accountability and conflict resolution skills and a venue for victims to participate in decisions involving restitution agreements.
Emergency
Rent Assistance Program - helps homeless households obtain housing and near-homeless households retain housing by providing emergency rent assistance for first month's rent or past due rent. Payments are supplemented with information and referral, assistance with landlord negotiations and housing counseling. Staff also compile and distribute the Pocket Resource Guide, a directory for emergency and basic needs community resources.
Family
and Community Development Program (FCD) - provides case management services to low-income families at risk of long-term welfare dependency by working with heads of households to increase their self-sufficiency and to partner with other community agencies for supportive services. The Case Manager focuses on comprehensive assessment and developing a plan toward employment preparation, family stability, and meeting family medical, housing, and other basic needs.
Individual
Development Account (IDA) and financial literacy training are tools to help families achieve their goals.
Independent
Service Coordination (ISC) - provides a variety of information, referral and case management services for persons with developmental disabilities. Following Pre-Admission Screening (PAS) to determine eligibility for a range of services, case managers provide continuing support and advocacy for individuals and their guardians. Bogard Program clients receive additional intensive case management and monitoring to ensure client choice and the least restrictive environment to meet individual needs.
Low Income Home
Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) - provides a one-time benefit to
eligible households to be used for energy bills. The program is
administered by the State of Illinois.
Illinois
Home Weatherization Assistance Program (IHWAP) - designed to help
low-income residents save fuel and money while increasing the comfort of their
homes. The program is administered by the State of Illinois.
Norman
(or Family Housing Preservation) Services - places families referred by the Department of Children and Family Service in permanent housing. In addition to locating housing, negotiating with landlords an ascertaining the family's basic needs are met, staff perform limited case management to help these households become stabilized. The Youth in Transition Program is an extension of services to assist youth ages 18-21 who are transitioning out of the DCFS foster care system to independent living.
Rural Rider
- offers curb-to-curb scheduled routes for rural residents, primarily seniors, in need of transportation for errands and appointments.
Senior Services
- provides referral to community services for seniors seeking information and provides seniors with face-to-face consultation and assistance connecting to the wide array of aging services in the county. Eldercare matches seniors who have a need for in-home care with carefully screened caregivers.
Senior Home Repair Service provides needed minor repairs to client homes to provide a safe, healthy living environment and to minimize future repair expenses.
SUBGRANTS:
Frances Nelson Health Center Pharmaceutical Assistance - provides needed medications to low-income and uninsured health center clients.
Urban League Fresh Start - provides weekly counseling and job assistance sessions for persons released from prison to change thinking and behavior and to lower their recidivism rate.
CSBG also funds the CCRPC Business Loan Program to increase job opportunities in Champaign County.
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The Community Services Board meetings of the Champaign
County Regional Planning Commission are held on the
first Thursday of the month. The meetings are held at
1776 E. Washington St., Urbana, at the Brooken’s Center
in Meeting Room 2 at 5:00 p.m. on the following dates:
- January 3, 2008
- February 7, 2008
- March 7,
2008
-
April 3, 2008
- May 1, 2008
- June 5, 2008
- July - no meeting
- August 7,
2008
- September 4, 2008
- October 2, 2008
- November
6, 2008
- December - no meeting
Funding for Social Services Programs is provided by over 30 Federal and state grants and contracts, local grants and contracts, private donations and user fees. Our funders include:
- U.S. Department of Energy
- U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
- Illinois Dept. of Commerce & Economic Opportunity - CSBG
-
Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services -
Office of Energy Assistance
- Illinois Dept. of Human Services - Division of Developmental Disabilities
- Illinois Dept. of Human Services - Homeless Prevention Services
- Illinois Dept. of Children & Family Services
- FEMA - Emergency Food and Shelter Program
- Dept. of Housing & Urban Development
- City of Champaign
- City of Urbana
- Village of Rantoul
- Champaign County Townships
- East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging
- Champaign County Mental Health Board
- Champaign County
- Private contributions
- User fees
CCRPC may accept tax-deductible donations for Social Services. In addition, Friends of Senior Services of Champaign County is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation associated with our Senior Services program and may also accept tax-deductible donations. Please contact our administration if you have questions about making a donation.
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Since its creation in 1966, each decade has resulted in numerous changes at the RPC. In its early years, it added a number of new programs, and in recent years established programs became the responsibility of the RPC. This presents some of the highlights of the RPC’s first 40 years.
1970s
- The RPC received local funds and federal (“HUD 701”) planning funds that allowed for the development of a comprehensive plan for Champaign County.
- In 1974 the RPC was recognized as a Metropolitan Planning Organization due to the fact that the commission board is comprised of chief elected officials of the larger local units of government within Champaign County.
- The Champaign Urbana Urbanized Area Transportation Study (CUUATS) developed from the MPO designation.
- The intergovernmental nature of the RPC allowed it to become the clearinghouse for review of all proposed state and federal funded projects originating within the county, the A-95 process. These are reviewed for duplication and adverse effects.
- In 1974, the RPC became the administrator of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Program (CETA) for Champaign, Piatt, Ford, and Iroquois counties. CETA used Public Service Employment Funds for small construction and maintenance projects. This ran through 1976 and was then spun out as a stand alone agency, known today as the Workforce Investment Board/Champaign Consortium.
- The RPC’s work in the Community Development program area grew during the 1970s. This resulted in home rehabilitation, public facilities, and economic development projects. By 1979, this expanded into a large comprehensive infrastructure and county-wide housing rehabilitation program for low-income homeowners. This expansion to serving low-income persons opened the door to the RPC becoming a social service agency.
1980s
- This was the era of New Federalism. Legislation enacted during this period shifted the responsibility of many social programs from the federal government to the states. This shift primarily affected health care, cash assistance and other income benefits, family structure, child care, child welfare, immigration, and long-term care.
- This change in funding emphasis caused the East Central Illinois Criminal Justice Commission (ECICJC) to lose its funding. The RPC absorbed the Police Training aspect of the ECICJC in 1983.
- The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program grew out of the New Federalism legislation. This program provides monies for social services programs from the federal government to the state level. The RPC, which recently expanded its role into the social service area, was well positioned to administer CSBG funding.
- In 1984, the RPC became the official Community Action Agency for Champaign County. This designation enhanced the RPC’s ability to attract additional state and federal funding.
- These funds increased in the late 1980s and this allowed for an expansion of direct service programs within the RPC. New funding allowed for a program providing housing assistance for homeless and near homeless persons as well as Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) clients.
1990s
- The Champaign County Community Development Corporation (CDC) formed in 1991. It is a multi-bank CDC whose purpose is to promote small business start-up and expansion by providing debt and equity financing.
- The RPC became the manager for several existing programs including Senior Services, Independent Service Coordination for developmentally disabled persons, Champaign County Zoning, and Daycare Network.
- It became the grantee for its largest program, Head Start, in 1994. Early Head Start programming was added in 1997.
2000s
- The Champaign County Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Consortium is the newest addition to the RPC. It was formed in September of 2002 in order to secure the benefits of data collection and analysis at the county-wide scale and to share the cost of implementation, maintenance, and data acquisition. Champaign County was designated as the Lead Member of the GIS Consortium and the County subsequently appointed the RPC as the Agency to house and administer the GIS Program.
- In December 2005, the County Planning & Zoning Department, a part of the RPC, became the Zoning & Enforcement Department.
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Illinois Community Action Association: http://www.icaanet.org
Federal Poverty Guidelines: http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/
National Poverty Center: http://www.npc.umich.edu/poverty/
Joint Center for Poverty Research: http://www.jcpr.org
Voices for Illinois Children: http://www.voices4kids.org
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