Senator William Delgado News

State Senator William Delgado (D-Chicago) joined with his colleagues to approve a measure that will help put the states pension system back on track.

“The state is currently putting more money into pensions then into public education,” stated Delgado. “This measure will lower our pension obligation and allow more funds to be put towards education and necessary public health services.”

Senate Bill 2404, a product of negotiations between public employees unions and the Senate President, is not only a cost savings measure, but is also fair to current and future retirees.

“This compromise will ensure the stability of the pension systems for future generations,” noted Delgado.

State Senator William Delgado (D-Chicago) joined students this past weekend at the 9th Annual Taste of Clemente, an event sponsored by youth from the Youth Empowering Strategies (YES!), which is a program that provides peer health and education. He also received the Youth Health Advocate Award from the students.

“I am honored to have received this recognition from YES!” said Delgado.  “The public health advocacy these youth provide to their peers is amazing, and I am proud of what they have accomplished.” 

The YES! Program started in 2005 with a pregnancy prevention grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services. Since that time, they have trained more than 100 students as peer health advocates.

At least 1000 students have received peer-led education on nutrition and fitness, violence prevention and pregnancy prevention. The YES! Program has also been a venue where medical students and residents have received training on public health issues affecting urban adolescents. The organization advocates for adolescents becoming informed health consumers and hope that because of this education and the experiences shared, students will have and be able to make healthier choices, which would ultimately benefit the entire community.
The mission of the YES! is to build an empowering foundation for the community’s youth through their participation in diverse experiences and opportunities. Their goal is to aid the community’s youth in becoming well-rounded, respectful and informed health advocates for themselves and their peers by providing them with healthy choices that positively affect their physical, mental and spiritual health.

El Senador estatal William Delgado logró la aprobación de una medida en el Senado de Illinois que proveerá servicios a jóvenes que están en libertad condicional.

“Trabajé anteriormente como agente de libertad condicional para jóvenes”, dijo Delgado. “Creo que estos servicios son necesarios para evitar que los infractores juveniles reincidan y acaben otra vez en un centro de detención juvenil, o en una cárcel cuando tengan más edad”.

En el 2007, la Asamblea General aprobó un programa piloto de seis años enfocado en un grupo de jóvenes infractores en libertad condicional designado para ofrecerles servicios sociales. Los participantes fueron elegidos por el Departamento de Justicia Juvenil (DJJ) porque eran considerados muy propensos a reincidir, o a tener dificultades para reajustarse a la comunidad.

Este programa incluyó servicios como consejería, manejo de caso, y tratamiento por abuso de sustancias. Debido a su éxito, Delgado busca que este programa se extienda a todo el estado.

Bajo esta propuesta, los programas que ofrece DJJ incluyen la evaluación del riesgo y necesidades de los beneficiados, manejo amplio de sus casos, y como media de transición asignar a los participantes a instalaciones comunitarias controladas. Otros servicios que les serán ofrecidos incluyen el tratamiento intensivo externo a pacientes, programas para estructurar actividades diarias y sistemas de reporte, tratamiento por comportamientos, así como consejería familiar.

El objetivo es garantizar que los jóvenes tengan acceso a buenos programas de transición que les ayuden en su camino por tener una vida independiente.

State Senator William Delgado (D-Chicago) passed a measure out of the Senate that will provide services for juveniles after their parole.

“I have formally worked with juveniles as a parole agent,” said Delgado.  “I believe these services are necessary to help keep delinquent youth from reoffending, and ending up either back in juvenile detention or prison as they get older.” 

In 2007, the General Assembly passed a six-year pilot program for select paroled juvenile offenders, which was designed to provide additional social services.  The participants were chosen by the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) because they were deemed at serious risk to reoffend or have difficulty re-adjusting to the community.

This program included “after” services including counseling, case management and substance abuse treatment.

Due to the success of the program, Delgado is seeking to expand this program statewide.

Programs, offered by DJJ through this proposal, include risk and needs assessment, comprehensive case management and placement in licensed secured community facilities as a transitional measure.  Other services which will also be offered include intensive outpatient treatment services, structured day and evening reporting programs and behavioral day treatment, as well as family counseling.

The goal is to ensure that the youth will have access to positive transitional programs that will aid on the path to independent living.

State Senator William Delgado (D-Chicago) met in Springfield today with members of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Parent Mentoring Program.

Decades of research confirms that when families are involved in their children's education, children perform better in school, attend school more regularly, complete more homework, demonstrate more positive attitudes and behaviors, graduate from high school at higher rates and are more likely to enroll in higher education.

The Parent Mentoring Program has an 18-year record of accomplishment, including improving test scores and increasing high school graduation rates based from its model program; the Logan Square Neighborhood Association and Southwest Organizing Project. To expand these success rates to other schools, the Parent Mentoring Program has collaborated with the state of Illinois.

The program allows community partners in low-income immigrant and native-born communities to hire and train Parent Mentors to work in their local schools. The program has recruit and trained over 420 parent mentors, mostly immigrant and African American women, to work directly with students in the classroom for two hours per day every day.

”The dedication of parent mentors has cut the adult-student ratio in half and increased individual attention to more than 10,000 low-income early childhood students,” said Delgado. “This program is a national model for parental engagement, and we need to ensure the program remains funded in next year’s budget.”