April 30, 2026

Our friends and neighbors who depend on SNAP (food stamps) are entering a difficult period starting tomorrow, Friday, May 1, 2026, as a result of new “work requirements” for SNAP benefits.

SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

CCHCC is here to help Champaign County residents to maintain their benefits! Please read below for important information, and see the link to a WCIA TV news story featuring CCHCC’s Chris Garcia discussing exemptions to the SNAP work requirements.

What do SNAP beneficiaries in Illinois need to know?
On July 4, 2024, Trump signed a budget bill that included massive changes to SNAP, and those changes take effect tomorrow, on Friday, May 1, 2026.

The Trump Administration is now imposing “work requirements” for SNAP beneficiaries. At CCHCC, we refer to these as “paperwork requirements” because the reality is that most SNAP beneficiaries who are able to work, are already doing so. It is important to remember that many low-wage jobs or part-time jobs do not pay enough for people to be able to afford nutritious food.

Still, complying with the new documentation requirements can be challenging. CCHCC can help!

Further below, we outline the circumstances under which someone can be exempt from the new requirements.

But first, some facts.
Governor JB Pritzker and IL Department of Human Services recently held a press conference to remind Illinois residents about the new SNAP requirements. Here are some key points from that press conference:

– Due to Trump’s budget bill, around 150,000 Illinoisans are at risk of losing food assistance beginning May 1, 2026.

– Illinoisans on SNAP are encouraged to use the state’s screening tool to check their status: https://aberp.illinois.gov/screener/ABAWD?lang=EN

–  The State of Illinois has resources for work and volunteer opportunities through Job Ready IL and Serve IL: https://www.dhs.state.il.us/?item=177800

To learn more, read the full press release: https://gov-pritzker-newsroom.prezly.com/trump…

Who is eligible for a Work Requirements Exemption?
Anyone who can answer YES to ANY of the questions below, and provide proof if asked to do so, is considered “Exempt” from the SNAP Work Requirements:

READ ON!

March 23, 2026

Getting housed in Champaign County should not require a miracle – especially if someone has income. But increasingly, finding affordable housing – and especially physically accessible housing for people with mobility impairments – sometimes feels like it requires a miracle. Many homeless individuals in our community have income, but still cannot afford housing.  This situation contributes to the growing crisis of homelessness. It shouldn’t be this way.

A client story – the search for affordable housing: Our clients, an elderly disabled couple whom we will refer to as the Smiths (not their real name), contacted us late last year with a desperate plea for help. The apartment where they had lived for many years was not renewing their lease (for no fault of theirs), and they had nowhere to go despite searching for a new, wheelchair accessible apartment. Despite their best efforts, they were on the brink of homelessness. 

At the time, CCHCC had a small grant to help pay for hotel rooms for individuals experiencing homelessness who are also medically fragile. So the Smiths put their household belongings in storage, and CCHCC put the Smiths up at a hotel for what was supposed to be a two-week stay. CCHCC paid for their hotel room so that they could save enough of their own funds to pay application fees, deposit, and first month’s rent at a new apartment. Two weeks turned into two and a half months. The challenges the Smiths were facing were two-fold: a) finding an apartment they could afford; and b) finding an apartment that was accessible for someone using a wheelchair. CCHCC worked with the Smiths for two and a half months, paying for their hotel room, and helping find leads for apartments. Subsidized senior housing was not an option for the Smiths because of the long waitlists. Finally, at long last, the Smiths were able to move into an affordable and accessible apartment!

Housing is healthcare. Safe, affordable housing is a cornerstone of a thriving and healthy community, and it is a key factor in each person’s health and well-being. For people experiencing homelessness, housing is healthcare. Housing is the foundation from which we build our lives. We spend most of our lives in our homes. The affordability, quality, and stability of our homes is directly linked to our health and well-being. People who experience homelessness have a harder time managing their health – it is harder to keep up with doctors’ appointments, maintain medications, and get preventive and primary care. People experiencing homelessness are more likely to seek care through hospital Emergency Departments, which is the least efficient and most expensive way to manage chronic health conditions. And of course, being homeless is detrimental to one’s health, even if it is for brief periods of time. Studies tell us that individuals experiencing chronic homelessness have lifespans that are 20-30 years shorter than people who are consistently housed.

How much should hosing cost you?  Experts say that housing costs – rent or mortgage, plus utilities – should not cost you more than 30% of your monthly income. At the very most, it should not cost you more than 50% of your monthly income. But 50% is a huge proportion that limits a person or household’s ability to deal with unexpected expenses such as car repairs, etc.

Too many homeless people in our community have incomes, but cannot afford housing. CCHCC has had great success in helping people apply for disability benefits, including individuals experiencing homelessness. Disability benefits provide monthly incomes. One disability benefit program is the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. SSI provides monthly payments to people with disabilities and older adults who have little or no income or resources. But in 2026, SSI provides a maximum monthly federal payment of $994 per month for an individual, and $1,491 for a couple.

READ ON!

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February 10, 2026

The end of January each year marks my birthday, followed by my anniversary of when I started working at CCHCC.

This year, I have just turned 60 years old, and marked my 29^th anniversary of being on staff at CCHCC. I feel so deeply grateful to have landed in this community and at this amazing organization!

Next year, CCHCC will be celebrating our 50^th anniversary! And I will be celebrating my 30^th anniversary with the organization. It is amazing to think of this!

The work we do at CCHCC is difficult, and never more so than right now as healthcare and housing and public benefits are being eroded right before our eyes. All too often, we are encountering clients who are in very desperate situations or who are experiencing crises. 

But every single day at CCHCC, we are doing the work that transforms people’s lives, and I could not be more proud of our organization and the amazing staff members I get to work with every day, and our very supportive Board Members.

As an example of how the work we do transforms people’s lives, I want to share a client story with you from Ashley Buckley, our staff member who helps homeless individuals qualify for Medicaid and SNAP. Ashley goes far beyond her job description and often ends up helping homeless individuals apply for housing opportunities, helping them complete applications and navigate the housing “system” in order to reduce the barriers they might encounter if they are left to do it on their own.

Please see Ashley’s story below:

“I met J when I was tabling at the Daily Bread. He is a very kind men who needed assistance with housing and had been referred to several places for assistance, but was confused on where to start. He just turned 56 and was looking for senior housing. I invited J to come to the office when he had time and I would help him go through applications that would place him on the waitlist for several subsidized housing locations. Typically, it’s difficult to get people in to the office after meeting with them at Daily Bread, but he showed up later that evening and had his ID and SSI information ready to share. I could tell that he had a long day, but he was still smiling and happy to get the assistance that he needed.

We went through several applications, and he needed assistance reading some of the documentation and filling out the information, which I was happy to help with. After we finished I gave him additional resources to other locations, such as Promise Healthcare and PACE. He had a knee that had been bothering him, and sleeping on friends ’ sofas or at the shelter had caused it to swell and become more painful. He declined any emergency services and said that he would manage.

READ ON!