Join the Fight for Financial Stability For All
Every day people in our community face personal and social crises that affect their ability to earn a steady paycheck, pay for the basics and save for the future. From evictions and hunger to addiction, unemployment and unexpected medical bills, these issues can turn into a crisis quickly.
Why We Fight
We fight because one missed paycheck, one unexpected medical bill, one unforeseen event can mean financial crisis for many local individuals and families. In Kankakee and Iroquois counties, one in three households live paycheck to paycheck.
Being able to pay all your bills, have enough money for groceries every week, save for the future might seem like small things. But for an individual or family in financial crisis, each step is one towards financial empowerment.
Additionally, the whole community benefits when more working individuals and families are financially stable. People who are financially stable are more likely to have access to quality health care, provide a good education for their children, and contribute to their local economies.
Based on 2018 data, the economic benefit to Illinois of financial stability for all households would be approximately $119.5 billion, meaning the state GDP would grow by 14%.
How We Fight
We focus on lasting solutions that go beyond short-term charity. These are solutions that start now and continue for generations.
That means connecting neighbors who need help with the organizations that have the best resources.
Helping households become financially stable and independent.
Our Vision: Household access basic needs from proactive, prevention-focused, comprehensive, easy-to-navigate systems that foster self-sufficiency and asset building.
Our Goals
- Continuing Education: Individuals pursue educational opportunities to increase financial stability.
- Financial Literacy: Individuals have the knowledge, skills and supports to make choices that increase their financial stability and advance their economic mobility.
- Stable Housing: Safe, good quality housing units are available at an affordable cost.
Who We Fight For
Anyone can experience a financial crisis. Old, young, individuals, families. Our programs reach everyone who needs help, including:
Single-parent led households: Households headed by a single individual with children. 69% of single mother-led households and 52% of single father-led households in Kankakee and Iroquois Counties are below the ALICE Survival Threshold.
Senior households: 56% of senior households in Kankakee and Iroquois Counties struggle to afford basic needs.
Young households: 56% of households headed by someone under 25 years old are living paycheck to paycheck in Kankakee and Iroquois Counties.
According to the Federal Poverty Level, there has been little to no change in the number of households experiencing poverty in Illinois since 2010, the official end of the Great Recession. We know there's more to the story than that. Read more in our ALICE Report for Illinois and learn more about households in Kankakee and Iroquois Counties struggling to make ends meet.