DuPage committee reviews 2-1-1 year-in-review, staff warns federal budget changes could affect services

DuPage County community services staff presented a year-in-review for the county’s 2-1-1 information-and-referral service, described how the ARPA-funded expansion supports 24/7 coverage, and told the Human Services Committee that uncertainty in federal budget proposals could affect programs that feed into county services.

The county distributed a one-page summary showing caller demographics, ZIP-code-level data and service needs; staff said the same data is available on the 2-1-1 website and that the county will distribute physical copies to the county board and to municipal partners and committees.

Why it matters: 2-1-1 provides referral services for housing, food, utilities and other basic needs. Staff said the recent expansion to round-the-clock coverage was funded by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, and that the county expects some state assistance but must plan for ongoing funding beyond 2027.

Funding uncertainty: Staff discussed how a federal budget reconciliation process and the president’s proposed budget could affect programs such as CDBG (Community Development Block Grant), HOME, CSBG (Community Services Block Grant) and LIHEAP. In the meeting transcript, a county staff speaker said the president’s proposed budget “zeros out a number of those programs,” adding that historically the president’s proposals are revised in Congress and that program reinstatement has occurred in past appropriations cycles. The staffer said: “I would be shocked if all of the draconian cuts that are in the president's proposed budget go through.”

Staff said county leaders are watching House and Senate markups of appropriations and that local officials will likely learn more in July or August as committees finish markups. The transcript records committee members asking for printed materials to hand out at district meetings and to municipal partners.

County staff also said 2-1-1’s online dashboards allow users to drill down by ZIP code and timeframe, and encouraged committee members to use those tools when connecting residents to services.

No formal actions were required on the 2-1-1 presentation; staff said they would distribute the one-page summary and follow up with the full board and municipal partners.