The City of Urbana was awarded a $247,918 grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services, per a press release on Monday. The funds will cover the costs of food, legal expenses and other services for asylum seekers in Champaign County.
“Asylum seekers are commonly forced to flee their countries with little support and resources when they arrive in the United States,” said Janel Gomez, City of Champaign community relations manager and compliance officer. “The grant funds will be used to help support those individuals and families who immigrated to Champaign County in search of a better life.”
The grant period spans from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. These funds will support approximately 200 adults and 100 children seeking asylum from Central and South America and the Middle East who have settled in Champaign County since 2022.
According to the release, “Champaign-Urbana is the only downstate community to receive funding through the state’s Supporting Municipalities for Asylum Seeker Services grant opportunity.”
The grant will be distributed to local services that provide direct aid to asylum seekers such as the Refugee Center, New American Welcome Center and Cunningham Township.
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Both the cities of Urbana and Champaign will supervise and review acceptance of the fund later this fall.
“The City of Urbana is honored to be able to support the important work of our local immigrant service providers, and this funding opportunity will assist many asylum seekers that have come to Illinois looking for a better life,” said Breaden Belcher, interim grants division manager for the City of Urbana.
