As co-chair of the Progressive Caucus, we issued a set of budget priorities reflecting the Caucus' values of equity, stability, and security while also recognizing the difficult financial realities we face entering this budget season. Those priorities included a continued commitment to our workforce, investing in our families through a Childcare for All pilot program, violence prevention programs, and continued housing and homelessness support. 

As the city integrates the migrant shelter system with the existing city shelter system, it seeks to double the number of beds to 6,800 through a $40 million investment. The proposed budget also seeks a $29 million investment in the rapid rehousing program, which successfully rehoused 84 individuals experiencing homelessness in our community.

The budget didn't include an increase in the Flexible Housing Pool (FHP) funding allocation to keep up with the cost of living for current clients receiving subsidies. The Flexible Housing Pool was established in 2018, and the programs were funded based on 2018 housing price and service cost data. The costs of all goods and services have increased due to inflation, which saw historic increases due to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues. Without a $5.2 million increase to the line item, 1,400 FPH participants, 500 of whom are children, are at risk of returning to homelessness. 

In Chicago, funding for survivors of domestic violence comes from the houseshare surcharge, a tax applied to people who rent an Air BNB or VRBO when staying in Chicago. While the budget includes $5 million for one-time emergency financial assistance for survivors of gender-based violence, this relies on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, which are facing a fiscal cliff. This issue is compounded by the fact that the federal government and the state government have slashed funding for gender based-violence in recent years despite the issue growing, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Network, a coalition of gender-based violence service providers in the Chicago region, asked the city to increase the homeshare surcharge tax from 2% to 4% to help address this crisis. Unfortunately, this wasn't included in the budget proposal. As we seek budget amendments, I will be asking for this to be reconsidered for inclusion. 

The proposed budget includes additional investments in our communities, including $15 million for community violence intervention programs, $52 million for youth employment opportunities, an additional 100 peacekeeper positions in 2025, and a rollout of a mental health dispatch unit within OEMC to ensure mental health calls are appropriately triaged and a mental health response is provided when someone dials 9-1-1. 

Finally, as we enter budget hearings on the heels of one of the most contentious and consequential elections of our nation, I believe we are at yet another inflection point for our city. Our City relies on more than our locally- generated revenue to fund our programs and services and maintain our infrastructure. Federal grants and funds passed through to us from the State are vital to the functioning of our city. The incoming administration has promised to close or defund Federal departments that are the source of a lot of revenue for Chicago. We don't know what the impacts will be, but I'm holding this fact in mind as I go through this budget process. We cannot treat this budget as a zero-sum game, which means that I will be working across the ideological spectrum in City Council to move our city forward and pass a budget before December 31, 2024. I also pledge to attend budget hearings, scrutinize the budget closely, and explore every possible avenue to create a balanced budget that isn't overly burdensome for Chicagoans.