CHICAGO — State Senator Mattie Hunter is encouraging eligible agencies to apply for a $2.8 million grant opportunity to secure transitional housing services for survivors of crimes. The grant program, administered by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, offers assistance to public agencies and non-profit organizations that provide survivors safety, independence and stable housing.

“Millions of Illinoisans have experienced some form of domestic violence or victimization, and do not have a safe place to live,” said Hunter (D-Chicago). “This grant opportunity will help connect survivors with housing security and other resources needed to feel safe again.”

Survivors of violence face significant barriers to accessing services like shelter, food, clothing, secure housing, utilities, income and legal protection. Thanks to funding provided under the Victims of Crimes Act, assistance is available to organizations that offer crime survivor services. VOCA is supported with fines paid by those convicted of violating federal laws and must be used to provide direct services to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, and other underserved survivors of crime.

CHICAGO – Thanks to years of support from State Senator Mattie Hunter, Wendell Phillips Academy High School unveiled a new athletic center Wednesday afternoon. In collaboration with Alderman Pat Dowell and the City of Chicago, a total of $17 million was secured to build the new facility.

“This project is very special to us all, and the community at large, as this is a one-of-a-kind investment in a community that has been historically underserved,” said Hunter (D-Chicago). “Phillips Academy was named as one of the best high schools in our state for athletics, and this newly-built facility will more adequately fit the needs of its students and staff.”

CHICAGO – On International Opioid Awareness Day, State Senator Mattie Hunter announced the official launch of the South Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force, which she is the convener of.

Hunter was joined by Florence Mason, Director of the South Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force; partners Walonza Lee, Program Director Office of Substance Use Chicago Department of Public Health, and Livia Verklan Mcinnes, GIS Analyst for the Chicago Department of Public Health; and La Shaun Rickman, Executive Director of Brighter, Behavior, Choices Inc., where the press conference was held.

“Our goal is to make treatment and other resources more accessible for those struggling with substance abuse,” said Hunter (D-Chicago). “We want to provide tangible resources for those dealing with substance use and their loved ones to combat this crisis and let them know that overdose is avoidable when help is available.”

CHICAGO – Employers can no longer discriminate based on hair, thanks to a measure led by State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago).

The Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act was signed into law Wednesday by Governor JB Pritzker, which includes hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists to the Illinois Human Rights Act’s definition of “race”.

“So much of our identity has been wrapped into our hair, and the way we wear it has been judged for centuries,” Hunter said. “The CROWN Act shouldn’t have been necessary in the land of the ‘free’, but its implementation will protect people from petty discrimination.”

CHICAGO – At least 50 women have been reported missing or murdered in Chicago with little to no answers for their families. To address this issue, State Senator Mattie Hunter championed a new law to create the Task Force on Missing and Murdered Chicago Women.

The task force will examine and report on the systemic causes behind violence that Chicago women and girls experience.

“The loss of these women was not just felt by their families, but the Chicago community as a whole,” said Hunter (D-Chicago). “That loss is intensified when the family is left with no justice, which is why a task force is necessary to gain some sense of accountability.”

CHICAGO – Neighborhoods like Englewood, Woodlawn and others across the state suffer from food insecurity, an issue to be addressed thanks to a new law championed by State Senator Mattie Hunter, which expands access to healthy foods across Chicago communities and statewide.

The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity estimates that 500,000 Illinoisans have limited or no direct access to local stores.

“There are too many Illinoisans eating poorly simply because they don’t have access to healthier food,” said Hunter (D-Chicago). “Food insecurity is one of the issues I’ve been fighting for a long time, and I am confident that this law will help to end food deserts in our state.”

SPRINGFIELD – A Real Estate Valuation Task Force will be established under a new law led by State Senator Mattie Hunter, aiming to combat discrimination in the housing industry.

“Black people have been at a generational disadvantage in this country since we were denied our right to forty acres and a mule,” said Hunter (D-Chicago). “Even in the modern era, we’ve dealt with systemic barriers such as redlining and other forms of housing discrimination. It’s past time for change.”

The creation of the Real Estate Valuation Task Force stems from an unresolved history of federal housing agencies discriminating against Black and Brown people when underwriting real estate loans.

SPRINGFIELD – Access to low cost prescription drugs will be protected thanks to a measure led by State Senator Mattie Hunter that was signed into law Friday.

While the average adult spends $177 out of pocket on prescription drug annually, affordability is a bigger issue for those who are older, taking four or more prescription medicines, have chronic conditions or are low-income.

“People should not have to spend hundreds of dollars in order to receive their prescription,” said Hunter (D-Chicago). “People living with diseases and disorders need access to medication, and we have to make it affordable for them.”