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Traditional Foster Care for children ages 0-18 whose families are unable or unwilling to meet the minimum standards of parents as defined by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

Specialized Foster Care provides intensive services to behaviorally challenged children ages 3-18. Relative Foster Care allows children who need to be placed out of their home to be placed with relatives.

Aftercare Program is specially designed to assist children and their families upon their return home from living with a foster family.

Other services include foster parent recruitment, adoption conversions.

Offers to help adults and juveniles stop shoplifting, on an individual basis, through educational rehabilitation programs and ongoing support service. It is the goal to help build better futures for individuals, their families and communities, while reducing a serious and costly retail industry problem.

Offers employment opportunities services. Providing a variety of services for job seekers, including career counseling, education and job-training guidance, financial aid for education and training, personalized career plans, unemployment insurance services, America's Job Bank and other internet job listings, and referrals to partner organizations. In addition, individuals are offered assistance with resumes, cover letters for employers, and interview skills.

Provides rent, utilities, food, and other essential needs.

Provides help to low-income people and families buy food.

Offers the Restaurant Meals Program, which allows eligible SNAP customers to buy meals at authorized restaurants. (Available to SNAP customers who are homeless, elderly, and/or disabled.)

The LINK card is accepted at many farmers' markets.

Expedited/Emergency SNAP Benefits may be available (in 5 days or less from the date of application) to eligible clients if:

- Monthly income, cash, and bank accounts are less than client's rent or mortgage plus utility costs, OR

- Monthly income is less than $150 and client's cash and bank accounts are not more than $100, OR

- At least one person in the household is a migrant farm worker and client's cash and bank accounts are not more than $100.

LIHEAP (low income home energy assistance program) provides assistance with a utility bill. Applications are accepted November 1 – August 15; for elderly or disabled individuals applications are accepted starting October 1. Income must fall within 200% of poverty guideline. Call for an appointment. A letter has been sent to those who may be eligible for early application in August or September.

Some applicants may qualify for the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP), where an eligible client pays a percentage of their income, receives a monthly benefit towards their utility bill, and receives a reduction in overdue payments for every on-time payment they make by the bill due date. Contact for more information.

If the homeowner's furnace is not working or is dangerous or emitting carbon monoxide into the household, LIHEAP may be able to provide a furnace repair or replacement. Contact for more information.

**This program is not designed to pay a household's total energy costs. The program will provide supplemental assistance based on several factors. This is a one-time payment to your energy provider.

DCFS has the primary responsibility of protecting children and strengthening families through the investigation and intervention of suspected child abuse or neglect by parents and other caregivers.

DCFS links families with community services to address struggles families are having, offers preventative services to referred families in an attempt to keep family units together to address findings of abuse/neglect, and works with families who have children under the legal custody of DCFS while working to reunify families when possible or provide a permanent home for children.

As part of its duties, DCFS also licenses and monitors all Illinois child welfare agencies, child care agencies, domestic and international adoption providers, and group homes in the state.