Author Archives: Admin

Information Session on City of Champaign Township Tax Levy – Wednesday, March 19

March 18, 2025

If you live in the city of Champaign, you have an opportunity to cast a vote on the April 1^st ballot to support funding for the STRIDES Homeless Shelter and homelessness-prevention efforts provided by the City of Champaign Township. The ballot initiative involves a slight property tax increase within the City of Champaign.

Champaign County Health Care Consumers (CCHCC) is urging Champaign residents to vote YES to this ballot initiative.

Vote YES Champaign Information Session
Please join us for an informative panel discussion with local experts who will discuss the upcoming April 1 ballot measure to fund the City of Champaign Township and its Rental Assistance Program and the Strides Shelter.

WHEN:          Wednesday, March 19, 2025
TIME:           6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
WHERE:      Champaign Public Library, Robeson Pavilion C (first floor); 200 W. Green St., Champaign

About the Property Tax Levy
Voters in the City of Champaign will see the proposed property tax levy on their ballots. The measure reads as follows:

“CITY OF CHAMPAIGN TOWNSHIP

PROPOSITION TO INCREASE THE LIMITING RATE

READ ON!

National and Local Updates

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February 26, 2025

Thank you to everyone who took action yesterday by calling various Illinois members of the U.S. House of Representatives to advocate against the budget resolution that could involve cuts to the Medicaid program.

Below is an update on the U.S. House vote on the budget resolution, as well as an update on the local situation with Health Alliance.

U.S. House Vote on Budget Resolution
Unfortunately, the U.S. House voted to pass the Budget Resolution containing massive cuts in government spending. The Republicans narrowly voted to adopt the resolution by a vote of 217-215, with only one Republican House member voting against it – Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

What does this mean for the Medicaid program? Well, the way the Resolution was written does not specify the programs that will be cut – that is still to be determined. The Resolution requires that various committees will have to come up with the programs to be cut to meet the requirements of the resolution.

My personal belief is that the programs were not specified within the Resolution in order to provide “cover” for getting Republican House members to vote “yes”, given the massive opposition to Medicaid cuts. But we do know that discussions have already targeted the Medicaid program, and food programs. Just because Medicaid is not named in the Resolution does not mean that it is not in the crosshairs of House cost-cutting measures.

What’s ahead? There is a legislative and budgeting process ahead that will involve reconciling the House Resolution with the Senate’s budget. CCHCC will be keeping a close eye on this process and will inform our community about the process and opportunities to take action. We will be part of a nation-wide advocacy effort to protect the programs that are vital to the health and lives of residents of the United States – especially those who are the most vulnerable.

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URGENT – Take Action TODAY to save Medicaid!

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February 25, 2025

I won’t sugarcoat this – we need your help immediately in order to try to save the Medicaid program. If you can, please make these phone calls TODAY, before 5 p.m.

The House is set to vote on their budget resolution today, which includes massive cuts to Medicaid. Hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans will lose their access to healthcare if this budget resolution passes. Help us flood Rep. Bost, LaHood, and Miller’s phones TODAY to say NO to this budget resolution, and NO to Medicaid cuts! Use the phone numbers and sample language below to get started.

Please call as many of these Representatives as possible! Also, please share this message with other people so that they can help make calls as well. CCHCC will provide updates on an ongoing basis.

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Client stories, from CCHCC’s Shea Belahi

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December 30, 2024

On behalf of Champaign County Health Care Consumers, I want to share with you some brief client stories from Shea Belahi, our Disability Application Services Coordinator. Shea (pronounced “Shay”) is a former CCHCC Board Member who has now been working at CCHCC for a year and a half. Shea primarily works with homeless individuals or individuals who are at risk of becoming homeless. Her main responsibility is to help clients with disability applications for SSI and SSDI. But the clients she encounters have so many additional and pressing needs, that Shea often gets involved in helping with those needs as well.

The brief stories below illustrate the life-changing nature of the free services that CCHCC provides to some of our most vulnerable community members.

Here are Shea’s stories about a few of her clients:

I met Mr. H during one of my visits to STRIDES shelter. He was living in his car near the shelter, and he needed help applying for disability benefits. Because of his medical conditions, I was able to help him get into a hotel program so that he would not have to be living out of his car. Shortly after he got into the hotel program, I helped him apply for a housing voucher. He qualified for the housing voucher, and I am happy to say that he is now living in his own apartment! We are still waiting on a determination for his disability application, and that can take some time. But Mr. H is very happy that he does not have to worry about being in the shelter or his car this winter.

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A client story, from CCHCC’s Nicole Mitchell

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December 19, 2024

On behalf of Champaign County Health Care Consumers, I want to share with you this special client story from Nicole Mitchell, our Senior Services Specialist. Nicole has been working at CCHCC for a year and a half, and she often encounters very daunting situations, where the answers are not easy or obvious. But Nicole is deeply compassionate and committed to her clients, and she works tenaciously to help her clients get the resources they need. This often involves collaborating with other organizations, and helping to facilitate “warm” referrals to those organizations.

A ”warm” referral is one where our staff contact the staff at another organization and help introduce the client to that organization, and help explain the client’s needs. This helps ensure that no one falls through the cracks.

This story illustrates the life-changing nature of the free services that CCHCC provides to some of our most vulnerable community members.

READ ON for Nicole’s story about her client: