Thread by @RuizBaldin

Hello! I'll be live-tweeting the aftrenoon portion of today's budget hearing for Fiscal Year 2026 at Chicago City Council's Committee on Budget and Government Operations for @CHIDocumenters. The focus today will be on Social Services. #ChiDocumenters

The Committee has just reconvened at 2:30 p.m. after a lunch break

Here's the link to the agenda: …storagev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/meetingattachm…

The afternoon portion of today's hearing will continue with the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS), Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR)

Continuing the discussion with the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS),11th Ward Ald. Nicole Lee talked about domestic and gender-based violence and asked about a 43% funding cut for the community safety fund and an eventual backup plan.

Ald. Lee also asked about the impact of federal cuts on the agency. Commissioner Angela Green said she isn't sure yet about the impacts of federal cuts.

11th Ward Ald. Lee also asked how DFSS collects data on race and ethnicity beyond what the Census provides. Silvie Senauke, the Senior Director of Strategy, Policy, and Equity at the Chicago DFSS, said that sometimes a program requires a different collection mode.

11th Ward Ald. Lee then said she would love to learn more about desegregation strategies and said it's important to work on desegregation and serving communities in a targeted way.

36th Ward Gilbert Villegas discussed homelessness at airports and streets and asked if DFSS ever uses funds from aviation or other enterprise funds. Managing Deputy Commissioner of Administration Raymond Barrett said DFSS uses $ 1.2 million from the aviation fund.

46th Ward Ald. Angela Clay asked about funding for the housing shortage and begged the commissioners to ask landlords to join the DFSS rent program. Commissioner Angela Green agreed that DFSS needs to boost the program, and said her priority now is to build new shelters

46th Ald. Angela Clay said she would love to see 311 shelter requests by ward so she can see the specific needs of each ward, and she also asked about the encampment strategy.

Deputy Commissioner Andrea Chatman said housing is a critical need and the ultimate goal, while shelters have a more immediate function

46th Ald. Angela Clay also asked what the plans are for the shelter on Irving Park and Marine Drive, which is set to become a development. Deputy Commissioner Chatman said there will be a three-phase approach to minimize the impact on the families with school-aged children

20th Ward Ald. Jeannete Taylor asked how much DFSS is spending on homelessness and shelter cleanliness. Among other investments, Commissioner Angela Green said about $62.5 million is being transferred from corporate funds to homeless services.

Regarding cleanliness, Deputy Commissioner Andrea Chatman said contracts include monitoring the shelter to ensure standards such as health and food safety. Another way to monitor these conditions is through delegate partners.

Deputy Commissioner Andrea Chatman also said she wants to lift $40 million to improve the quality of the facilities, which will include new beds, etc.

1st Ward Ald. Daniel LaSpata asked about vacancies in DFSS, and Commissioner Angela Green clarified that, from the 43 vacant positions, 35 are grant-based and 8 are funded via the corporate fund.

Christina Medina, from human resources, said that 20 of the 35 are at the stage of the hiring process, with 10 maybe starting before the end of the year

On gender-based violence, Ald. Daniel LaSpata asked what DFSS is doing to make sure domestic violence shelters have room for mothers and infants. Deputy Commissioner Chatman said that general public shelters also receive mothers with children and they have enough cribs

3rd Ward Ald. Pat Dowell asked about brand new initiatives for 2026, and Managing Deputy Commissioner of Administration Raymond Barret described two initiatives: investing $355.000 in a block program, and 15 million for relief for west side families who experienced disasters

3rd Ward Ald. Pat Dowell showed her support for programs focused on domestic and gender-based violence

48th Ward Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth discussed the importance of the legal protection fund and asked if there would be a cut to youth safety coordinators. Managing Deputy Commissioner of Administration Raymond Barret said these positions are not being cut from this budget

As final comments to the DFSS discussion, the Chair of the Committee on Budget and Government Operations, Alder Jason C. Ervin, said he has had more conversations about domestic violence compared to "traditional" crimes, adding that decreasing funding would not be helpful

Transitioning to the discussion with the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), Commissioner Olusimbo (Simbo) Ige said the department will see a decrease in funds in 2026, which shows how public health is changing in the country.

Ige listed CDPH accomplishments in 2025, mentioning a story published by The Guardian that cited Cook County as the county with the largest reduction (38%) in overdose deaths since 2023.
.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/o…