Illinois Statutes Chapter 20. Executive Branch § 505/17a-15. Community service programs; Department of Human Services.

(a) The Department of Human Services must establish a program to award grants to area projects to plan, establish, operate, coordinate, and evaluate community services programs. For purposes of this Section, “area project” means an entity whose purpose is to develop, manage, provide, and coordinate a community services program and “community services program” means a program, based on the Chicago Area Project Model, aimed at changing social, cultural, and environmental conditions that prevent youth and families from maximizing their potential and that place youth in a condition that increases their tendency to become involved in the juvenile justice or child welfare systems.

(b) The Department of Human Services must, by rule, establish the eligibility criteria for an area project, including the composition and responsibilities of the governing authority of an area project, application requirements, service components of community services programs, and the review and monitoring of community services program plans. At a minimum, an area project must be a not-for-profit organization (i)(A) whose preponderance of resources is directed to community services programs that are different than intervention-oriented youth services or (B) that creates through an amendment to its by-laws or other binding agreement a specific body whose purpose is to develop, manage, provide, and coordinate a community services program and (ii) that includes representation from any community committee, as defined by rule of the Department of Human Services, of the area project and may also include business and industry leaders, educators, and other concerned citizens.

(c) The Department of Human Services shall fund community services programs by grants made through negotiated contracts, which are written agreements mutually agreed upon by the Department and the area project. The payment of funds to area projects under the community services program shall be in the form of a grant paid in equal monthly installments. In the event of reduced or insufficient funding, existing grants shall receive proportionate reductions.