About 60 vendors attended a town hall meeting Monday on the South Side hosted by Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes to find out when they can expect payment from the state for the vendors’ services to disadvantaged individuals and families.
About 60 vendors attended a town hall meeting Monday on the South Side hosted by Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes to find out when they can expect payment from the state for the vendors’ services to disadvantaged individuals and families.
The state has not been able to pay its bills on time because of the dogged economy, and when the state cannot pay, vendors like Blue Gargoyle feel the sting.
“We cannot be considered the charity organization,” said Pam Bozeman, executive director of Blue Gargoyle, a Chicago non-profit social service agency. “When the state does not reimburse us for our services, we cannot pay our employees. And when they cannot get paid, then they cannot take care of their families. So you see this is no joke.”
Hynes addressed the vendors and later took questions, which mostly centered on the lack of communication between the state and vendors.
“There are immediate steps we are taking to get caught up on vendor payments, such as borrowing,” Hynes said. “But we have to be realistic in our thinking. It’s going to take a while to get out of the budget hole.”
And while most vendors said they appreciated Hynes meeting with them, they admitted that they are struggling to stay in business.
The head of Vision House, a Chicago non-profit that provides permanent housing to homeless families and HIV-infected individuals, was at the meeting.
“It saddens me when I have to tell people on our waiting list that we cannot provide housing to them even though we have housing available,” said Tyrone Mitchell, executive director of Vision House. “And it is going to hurt me even more if I have to put families out on the street because we can no longer afford to stay open.”
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