State Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez, D-Cicero, member of the Latino Caucus, released the following statement after Family Focus announced that they will be laying off 71% of their staff: “Governor Rauner’s unwillingness to put his anti-middle class agenda aside has pushed many of our state’s social service providers to a breaking point. It is heartbreaking that Family Focus will lay off all of their direct program staff, which will prevent 17,000 families that rely on its child development education and training, ESL classes and citizenship workshops from receiving these vital services.

“The governor’s budget impasse has gone on long enough. Our communities are suffering, and service providers are being forced to shut their doors on individuals who depend on them to survive. House Democrats have been and continue to be willing to work with the governor to come up with a resolution to the crisis that he has created. I urge Governor Rauner to come to the table and begin working with the General Assembly in good faith on a budget. He has a responsibility to everyone who relies on these programs to start doing the job that the people of Illinois elected him to do.”

State Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez is a member of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus and represents the 24th District, which includes Cicero, Little Village, Berwyn, Brookfield, Riverside, and Stickney.