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Purpose of IWA
To intensify the positive human impact of State of Illinois programs in nine
distressed, but resilient communities through co-location of programs, stronger
coordination of services and expanded access for individuals and families to
information and communication technology.
IWA Communities
· East St. Louis
· Englewood (Chicago)
· Harvey
· Humboldt Park (Chicago)
· North Lawndale (Chicago)
· Southern 7 counties (Alexander, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski,
Union)
· Rock Island
· Little Village (Chicago)
· Maywood
Working with Communities
IWA does not usurp or supplant existing community organizations, collaborative
initiatives, local government agencies, Workforce Investment Board, Youth Councils
or One-Stop centers. Rather, IWA enables such groups to work efficiently and
effectively with state agencies across diverse arenas of policy. IWA has convened
state-local working groups in each community to review the community’s
strengths and needs to identify state resources already in place, and to formulate
strategies for how state agencies can add value to local initiatives.
Value adding strategies include:
· Coordinating and co-locating existing state-supported services
· Changing the approach of existing state-supported programs, if feasible
· Assistance in applying for private and public funding
· Tailoring grants already in the pipeline to support local development
strategies
· Directing state discretionary funds to support new initiatives, when
appropriate
Role of the State Steering Committee
The State Steering Committee is comprised of senior Governor’s Office
Staff and state agency leaders and ensures the project’s steadfast focus
on performance indicators. Outcomes the Steering Committee considers include
child immunization rates, rates of juvenile crime and delinquency, economic
self-sufficiency of individuals and families, graduation rates, and other indicators
specific to each community. This committee also uses its influence with agencies
to see that strategies identified by the working groups are enacted, if they
are fiscally feasible and meet statutory obligations.
The Virtual Family Resource Center, an IWA Centerpiece
IWA will emphasize the need for virtual family resource centers in each community.
Based in existing local organizations, family resource centers will enable individuals
and families to access services and information that they need to make the best
use of state and local programs. The centers will be located in settings that
are accessible to and accepted by the community. Possible settings include existing
community centers, one-stops, primary health centers, employment center, libraries,
and schools. The family resource center will emphasize resident and parental
involvement in planning, implementation and evaluation, will deliver the skills
and technology necessary to make the internet a tool for economic empowerment,
and will serve as a planning and design center through which the local working
group and state agency representatives can formulate and evaluate further community-based
IWA projects. |
