Elgin Township trustees approve $229,500 for local groups
PADS of Elgin homeless shelter has seen major cuts in funding from the City of Elgin and Kane County in the last two years and erratic payments from the state. But Executive Director Dennis Hewitt said the United Way of Elgin and Elgin Township are two entities he has been able to rely on through the economic downturn.
Elgin Township trustees approved $229,500 in grants for area social service agencies Monday night, offering PADS $30,000.
“The township has really been a sustaining source when these other government entities have had to cut,” Hewitt said, also acknowledging that townships have been under fire from critics who say they don’t serve a purpose.
“But these townships really do serve one of the functions that they were meant to do, which was to serve the needy within their communities,” Hewitt said.
Township Supervisor Annette Miller said checks will be handed out at the board’s Dec. 10 meeting.
Fourteen organizations applied for the funding and 13 received it, though almost every single one asked for more than it got. Trustees focused on helping organizations that serve the basic needs of township residents.
The amount for this year’s grants is slightly more than last year’s $224,000.
“We are fortunate that we can fund the social service agencies again this year despite financial constraints that all government bodies are facing,” Miller said. “Hopefully next year we can do the same.”
Elgin Township social service grants
Elgin Township trustees approved funding for 13 area social service agencies this week, focusing primarily on helping programs that provide basic services for township residents. The grants totaled $229,500, slightly more than the board disbursed last year.
Agency Funding amount
Association for Individual Development $20,000
Centro de Información $17,500
Community Crisis Center $52,500
Ecker Center $50,500
Elgin Cooperative Ministries $3,000
Food for Greater Elgin $10,000
Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice $3,750
Larkin Center $16,250
Literacy Connection $7,500
PADS of Elgin $30,000
Renz Center $11,250
St. Mary Conference of St. Vincent $2,000
YWCA of Elgin $5,250
SOURCE: Elgin Township