THE COMMUNITY SYSTEM IN CRISIS

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The They Deserve More Coalition is launching our 2026 campaign to ensure this year’s Illinois state budget prioritizes people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and the Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who deliver essential services.

Our focus this year: Stabilize DSP wages and staffing in the community residential system.

Here’s what we’re requesting from the Illinois General Assembly:

1) Increase DSP wages by $1.20/hour

  • Funding for DSP wages comes from the state government. TDM’s goal is to increase DSP wages until they reach 150% of minimum wage across all of Illinois.

  • The state currently reimburses wages at $21.30/hour—142% of Illinois’ $15/hour minimum wage. 

  • After a $1.20/hour increase, the reimbursement would reach $22.50/hour—achieving the 150% goal! 

The 150% goal didn’t come out of nowhere. In 2020, the state released the Guidehouse Rate Study, which provided recommendations to stabilize Illinois’ IDD support system. Recommendation #1 is to reimburse DSP wages at 150% of minimum wage.

2) NO MORE cuts to DSP service hours

  • Last year’s budget slashed 35% of the DSP services hours provided to people with IDD who live in group homes (“CILAs”).

  • People with IDD lost 622,000 hours each year. That’s equivalent to cutting 305 DSP positions statewide.

  • Those cuts went into effect on January 1. Nonprofit providers are already:

  • Eliminating DSP jobs

    1. Freezing DSP hiring

    2. Reducing capacity & merging CILAs

We’re asking legislators to hold the line this year. Cutting DPS hours undermines the progress we’ve made to stabilize the IDD workforce.

 Don’t let anyone tell you those were “extra” hours that don’t have a big impact. We’ve heard from people with disabilities and their families across the state about the importance of those hours for living a meaningful, dignified life in the community.