RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County (CEDA) has been in existence for 35 years but is now confronted with serious financial problems that could put this important organization in danger of going out of business unless funding sources are found; and
WHEREAS, CEDA provides critical services to over 500,000 disadvantaged people in Cook County each year. It receives state and federal grants totaling 190 million dollars a year to provide head start pre-school services, weatherization and low-income heating to disadvantaged families; and
WHEREAS, CEDA operates more than 50 locations throughout suburban Cook County, with approximately 500 full and part-time employees. CEDA offers over thirty programs and services in the areas of children and family services, community and economic development, education, emergency assistance, employment and training, energy conservation and services, health and nutrition, and housing and senior services. CEDA programs work in partnership with the suburban communities of Cook County while empowering families and individuals to achieve self-sufficiency and improve their quality of life; and
WHEREAS, CEDA's Head Start/Early Head Start in 2012 (the most recent year for which data are available) provided early childhood development services to more than 3,100 children and their families, in cooperation with five Delegate agencies, 12 affiliates and 11 directly operated facilities; and
WHEREAS, In 2012, CEDA weatherized 9,725 homes, which included 3,500 senior-citizen-owned homes; and
WHEREAS, CEDA provided Workforce Development Services in 2012 to nearly 200 clients enrolled in the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Employment and Training and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) Workforce programs; and
WHEREAS, CEDA's Community Service Block Grant programs, including dental assistance, vision care, scholarships and family nutrition, helped over 2,370 people in 2012. A new Veterans Career Development Program was implemented to enroll area veterans in a vocational training program in growth industries; and
WHEREAS, CEDA's Energy Services assisted more than 230,000 households in 2012 through LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program), PIPP (Percentage of Income Payment Plan), ComEd Hardship, and Share the Warmth programs. Energy Services and the Weatherization program also partnered with over 100 intake sites across Cook County; and
WHEREAS, CEDA's Summer Feeding program provides school children in low-income communities with free meals during the summer months. Approximately 58,000 breakfasts, lunches and snacks were served to area children in 2013; and
WHEREAS, The Housing Department of CEDA provides comprehensive counseling services to clients currently homeless or at risk of homelessness. Programs include Transitional Housing, Rental Housing Support, Foreclosure Prevention and Pre-Purchase Homebuyer Education; and
WHEREAS, Recently CEDA has faced difficult financial hardships. It is facing eviction from its headquarters in downtown Chicago and may lose its federal grant to provide head start services in suburban Cook County. CEDA has also filed a lawsuit against its former auditors, alleging they failed to inform the board about CEDA's true financial condition. CEDA is currently 5.5 million dollars in debt; and
WHEREAS, CEDA has provided vital services for low-income people in Cook County for 35 years. Approximately 500,000 people in Cook County rely on the services provided by CEDA. Low-income people in Cook County are dependent on CEDA services and will suffer should CEDA cease to exist; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members ofthe City Council ofthe City of Chicago, assembled this twenty-fifth day of June, 2014, do hereby call upon the federal government and the State of Illinois to continue to provide the necessary funding that CEDA requires to carry on its important mission of providing for the needs ofthe 500,000 disadvantaged people of Cook County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, do hereby call upon the City Council's Committee on Human Relations to hold a hearing on this subject matter and to invite representatives of CEDA and other interested parties to participate in said hearing; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City Clerk is hereby directed to deliver suitable
copies of this resolution to the Governor ofthe State of Illinois, the President ofthe Illinois Senate,
the Minority Leader ofthe Illinois Senate, the Speaker ofthe Illinois House of Representatives, the
Minority Leader ofthe Illinois House of Representatives and the Chairman of CEDA, Ronald
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