John,

 

Even before the devastating impacts of the pandemic, too many Chicagoans were struggling with access to high-quality, affordable mental health care. That's why in our first two budgets we tripled the amount of funding for mental health resources and created a city-wide community-based continuum of care. Between January 1st and June 30th of this year, over 16,000 residents have received mental health services through trauma-informed centers of care — a 300 percent increase when compared to the total number of persons served by the City in all of 2019. But there is still more work to be done.

 

That's why in the 2022 budget we guided through City Council, we pushed to do even more committing to historic investments in mental health that will help us make sure that everyone in need of care is able to get it in a space that they trust close to home.

 

In partnership with AFSCME Council 31, we were able to include funding to restore many of the public mental health care practitioner positions that had been cut from city budgets during the previous administration. That funding will help ensure we can provide improved support for children and adolescents, particularly within our public schools. It will also allow us to better aid people experiencing homelessness, and those who are involved with the criminal justice system. Plus, it will allow the city to improve bilingual and bicultural services, and to expand into the evening the hours when Chicagoans can access care.

 

I'm especially proud of our new network of Trauma-Informed Centers of Care, which weaves together federal, state, county and city funding.

 

If you or someone you know is in need of mental health support, click here to find Chicago Department of Public Health services nearby.

 

We know that providing a nurturing ecosystem of support for those struggling in these difficult times is the right way to prioritize our investments as a city. And we also know that it's an essential focus in the broader effort to prevent violent crime in our communities, and to divert people in need of mental health care toward services and away from incarceration, where they too often have ended up in the past.

 

This investment isn't just a number on a budget line item for me — it's about saving lives. We have a lot more work to do, but we continue to take important leaps forward, and we couldn’t have done it without you.

 

Thanks for standing with us every step of the way.

 


Sincerely,

 

Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot

 

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

 

 


Lightfoot for Chicago
100 W. Kinzie
Suite 325
Chicago IL 60654 United States

 

 

 

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