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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Direct support professionals provide long-term | ||||||
| 3 | support and services for thousands of children
and adults with | ||||||
| 4 | intellectual and developmental disabilities in Illinois; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Direct support professionals build close, | ||||||
| 6 | respectful, and trusted relationships with the
persons they | ||||||
| 7 | help support and their families; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, Direct support professionals provide a broad | ||||||
| 9 | range of individualized support and
assistance with tasks such | ||||||
| 10 | as eating, bathing, administering medication, job and life | ||||||
| 11 | skills training,
money management, meal preparation, and | ||||||
| 12 | reading, community engagement, and transportation; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, Over the past several decades, thousands of | ||||||
| 14 | individuals with developmental
disabilities have moved from | ||||||
| 15 | their family homes, foster homes or state institutions into | ||||||
| 16 | group
homes, where they have been able to achieve more | ||||||
| 17 | productive and fulfilling lives; and | ||||||
| 18 | WHEREAS, There is a documented critical and growing | ||||||
| 19 | shortage of direct support professionals
in Illinois that is | ||||||
| 20 | directly correlated to low wages that are often below the | ||||||
| 21 | federal poverty level; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, This staffing crisis gravely impacts the quality | ||||||
| 2 | of life and personal safety of persons
with disabilities in | ||||||
| 3 | Illinois; and | ||||||
| 4 | WHEREAS, In order to continue to enhance the lives of | ||||||
| 5 | persons with disabilities and their families
who rely on long | ||||||
| 6 | term supports and services, community providers who employ | ||||||
| 7 | direct support
professionals must obtain the resources to | ||||||
| 8 | recruit, train and retain a highly qualified and sustainable
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| 9 | workforce; and | ||||||
| 10 | WHEREAS, Competition is growing for direct support | ||||||
| 11 | professionals; job opportunities at Walmart, fast food | ||||||
| 12 | restaurants, retail stores, the new Amazon warehouse, and even | ||||||
| 13 | at the local donut shop often pay more than what the State pays | ||||||
| 14 | direct service professionals; in addition, the minimum wage in | ||||||
| 15 | Chicago is rising well above what the State currently pays | ||||||
| 16 | direct service professionals; and | ||||||
| 17 | WHEREAS, The "They Deserve More" coalition is engaged in a | ||||||
| 18 | statewide effort to address the
staffing crisis affecting | ||||||
| 19 | services to people with disabilities and their families in | ||||||
| 20 | Illinois; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, The only solution to this ever-worsening crisis is | ||||||
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| 1 | to increase state funding to provide
a living and competitive | ||||||
| 2 | wage for direct support professionals; and
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| 3 | WHEREAS, Illinoisans recognize and celebrate the | ||||||
| 4 | contributions of direct support professionals
that help | ||||||
| 5 | strengthen our communities by fostering greater inclusion for | ||||||
| 6 | persons with disabilities; therefore, be it
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| 7 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 8 | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 9 | declare September 11-15, 2017 as "Direct Support Professionals | ||||||
| 10 | Recognition Week" in the State of Illinois; and be it further
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| 11 | RESOLVED, That we honor the dedication and vital role of | ||||||
| 12 | direct support
professionals in enhancing the lives of children | ||||||
| 13 | and adults with disabilities and their families.
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