A statewide commission that will make recommendations to the Illinois governor and state lawmakers on policies for young people will have a representative from southern Illinois.
Sherrie Crabb – the CEO of Family Counseling Center, Inc. – will serve on the Youth Budget Commission. She says it’s important to have stakeholders like herself and youth themselves on the commission since a 2018 report shows only eight percent of the state budget goes to those from eight to 25 years of age.
"25% of our state population is within this age group of 8-25. I think it's very important to make sure we're focusing on budgetary lines and legislative decisions on how we can enhance youth and young adults in our community."
Crabb says a fiscal scan in 2018 revealed 8.1% of the state budget was actually spent on this particular age group.
Crabb says the commission will start working on the 2019 report – or scan – to determine how the state is addressing the needs of young people.
She says the commission will meet every other month. Its first meeting was on December 6.
