County Board Chair Deborah Conroy, County Board Member and Board of Health President Sam Tornatore, and County Board members Cindy Cronin Cahill and Michael Childress joined Congressman Sean Casten, state representatives and senators, local elected officials, and community partners to break ground on the DuPage Crisis Recovery Center (CRC) on April 8.
Located on the County campus in Wheaton, the CRC is designed to be a single point of entry for individuals experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis. Individuals, family members, or first responders will be able to bring those experiencing a crisis to the center 24/7, where they will be screened and cared for by trained mental health and substance use professionals and connected with a warm hand off to community resources for continued support.
The Center will cost $25.8 million to build, with $15.3 million provided by the DuPage County Board from the American Rescue Plan Act, $5.5 million from the state’s Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan, $5 million from the Health Department, and $1 million from Congressman Casten.
The CRC will reduce unnecessary hospital emergency room visits, unnecessary 911 calls, and interactions with law enforcement that put a strain on public resources and are often not well-suited to address behavioral health crises. The center will be staffed with crisis services counselors, psychiatrists/psychiatric nurse practitioners, case managers, and people with lived experience.
The CRC is scheduled to open in Summer 2025.
DuPage County Provides Funds to Fight Food Insecurity
The DuPage County Board on Feb. 13 allocated nearly $1 million to 16 food pantries to assist with vehicles, capital equipment, and technology purchases.
These funds will assist with capital equipment purchases that help the pantries store, package, and deliver food or essential commodities. Funds may also be used for information technology investments for data collection, reporting, or for issuing payments. The Board allocated an additional $500,000 to the program to assist additional pantries.
Additionally, the County will provide nearly $1.6 million to the Northern Illinois Food Bank, allowing the organization to distribute fresh produce, protein, and essential commodities to local food pantries in DuPage County. This allocation brings the County’s total funding provided to the Northern Illinois Food Bank to more than $4 million.
 County Board Chair, Members Meet with State Delegation
On Feb. 2, Chair Deborah Conroy and County Board members Cindy Cronin Cahill, Michael Childress, and Sam Tornatore attended a legislative breakfast with state representatives and senators from DuPage to discuss County initiatives and priorities for the coming year.
 DuPage County Celebrates Women’s History Month
County Board Chair Deborah Conroy presented a proclamation on March 12 recognizing Women's History Month to Glennette Tilley Turner via Zoom. The theme for 2024's Women's History Month is Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Turner has spent decades researching, writing, and lecturing on the contributions and history of African Americans in the County and region.
In addition to dialing or browsing for help, DuPage County residents seeking health and human services can now find assistance by texting the County's free 211 information and referral line.
Residents can text their ZIP code to 898211 to connect with a County operator, who can provide referrals to assistance available near them. Texting service will be available between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. In addition to the texting option, residents seeking help can still dial 2-1-1 or visit 211dupage.gov to find services near them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Texting 211 initiates a conversation with a live, specially trained operator who will efficiently connect you to the right resources. Immediate referrals are available any time of day for services including clothing or personal items, disaster services, education, food, health and wellness, income support, legal aid, transportation, and more.
211 is a confidential, information and referral service that connects residents to local health and social service resources. It is different from 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which provides free and confidential support for people in a mental health, suicidal or emotional crisis.
On March 12, the DuPage County Board celebrated a $50,000 donation from a Glen Ellyn couple which will contribute to a solar project on the County campus. Ann Boisclair and Jeff Jens presented a check to County Board Chair Deborah Conroy and Environmental Committee Chair Sheila Rutledge at the County Board meeting.
The County installed a 164-kilowatt solar panel system on the roof of the 421 Administration Building. This system will lead to a reduction of more than 100 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is enough to power nearly 30 homes annually!
County Board Chair Deborah Conroy and County Board members Cindy Cronin Cahill, Michael Childress, and Sam Tornatore joined community members at the I Have A Dream Breakfast on Jan. 15 in Oakbrook Terrace to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Parents, have you stepped out of the workforce to care for your family? Are you looking to return to the office, but feel intimidated by how much the digital landscape has changed?
WorkNet DuPage is hosting free, three-day, in-person workshop for DuPage County residents looking to fast-track their return to the workplace. This program will help parents who have been out of the workforce learn digital confidence through an introduction to Teams, Outlook, Word, Zoom, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Learn more about the program or register online.
County Board Chair Deborah Conroy and County Board Members Cindy Cronin Cahill and Michael Childress travelled to Washington, D.C., in February to attend the annual conference of the National Association of Counties.
DuPage County is offering college and occupational training scholarships for low-income individuals with high academic potential.
The Community Services Block Grant scholarship supplements the cost of tuition, books, supplies and other school-related items for a semester or a quarter to offset the student’s needs. This scholarship is funded and designed in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
The scholarship awards will vary from $500 to $2,500, and special consideration is given to students interested in high-technology fields or other occupations in emerging fields.
Applications are available at the Community Services department or online at dupagecounty.gov/scholarship. Completed applications and support documents must be received by 4:30 p.m. May 3.
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