Community Action of Winnebago & Boone Counties

07/31/2026

In program year 5, our IMPACT program served 65 total clients all of which had serious mental illnesses and in some cases secondary diagnoses. All 65 were unsheltered when they got involved with our Navigators. Of those that exited the program, nearly 50% received services and obtained some type of permanent housing.

One participant, R, was recently released from jail prior to getting involved with staff. He was homeless. He was accepted to one of our Transitional Housing units where he worked with Marie. He was also connected to the MIH program and linked up with LP Johnson for mental health treatment/med management. Staff helped get his SSI and SNAP benefits reinstated. Last month, R moved out of our units and into his own apartment at the new Lafayette building!!! Thank you to all that helped and CONGRATULATIONS to R!!!!! IMPACT is funded through the Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board with the voter-approved half-cent sales tax. .

07/04/2026

07/02/2026

LIHEAP OUTREACH on 7/8/26 & 7/22/26, taking walk-ins from 9am to noon!

06/19/2026

JUNETEENTH: Today, we honor freedom, reflect on our history, and celebrate progress toward justice and equality.

Our office is closed today (June 19th) in honor of Juneteenth, we will re-open on Monday.

06/18/2026

Congrats to our Executive Director for being recognized as one of the 40 over 40 Honorees.

As a second-career attorney, Anqunette Parham brings a one-of-a-kind blend of legal expertise, investigative experience, and community leadership. She has helped secure more than $5 million in grant funding for nonprofits, health care organizations, and municipalities across the region.

We're so excited to honor Anqunette and 39 others at the 40 Over 40 Honoree Reception, June 25!

06/16/2026

06/15/2026

Join Head Start for their Head Start on Tour kickoff event on Wednesday 6/17 from 9:00am-2:00pm. Come over to 902 Acorn St to enroll your child for preschool at Summerdale Early Childhood Center or the Parent and Child Education Center.

There will be giveaways, freeze pops, and activities to engage in with your child. Enroll today and avoid the long lines in August! Call 779-348-7169 with any questions. We hope to see you there!”

06/11/2026

Last week, we turned up the heat on the Cicero Institute! Together, we confronted the billionaire-backed think tank at the center of the federal efforts to defund affordable housing and the nationwide increase in laws that make it a crime to be homeless.

06/04/2026

At the Home Illinois Summit, a frontline team from Rockford, IL, took the stage!

They shared what's already happening in their community through their 100-Day Challenge® focused on homelessness prevention. As of Day 60, they've already helped 58 families stabilize their housing and connect to crucial supportive services.

They shared that their success emerged from:
-The new relationships built across sectors, such as senior services
-The new ways of working together that didn't exist before
-A more coordinated response to reach more people, more effectively

CONGRATULATIONS to Christina Schutt and Veronica Morales, and the City of Rockford Illinois team for bringing this to a statewide audience.

And special thanks to the Re!nstitute, the Office to Prevent and End Homelessness (OPEH) and the Illinois Department of Human Services for creating space for frontline voices to shape the conversation.

!NSTITUTE

06/02/2026

We are so excited to celebrate the grand opening of the Lafayette apartments and we are looking forward to a great partnership!! Congrats to all involved, it is beautiful!! We can’t wait to move in our first tenants!!

NEW HOUSING: We're proud to be a financial and service partner in the transformation of the Lafayette Apartments and the creation of new housing opportunities in downtown Rockford. Today, we celebrated the ribbon-cutting for the historic rehabilitation of the Lafayette Hotel, which has been restored and converted into 54 affordable housing units.

Even more fitting, today's celebration took place exactly 99 years after the Lafayette Hotel first opened its doors. Thanks to the leadership of Gorman & Company, the Illinois Housing Development Authority, and many dedicated partners, this historic landmark has been given new life and will continue serving Rockford residents for generations to come.