Join the Campaign to Adopt the Family Violence Option and Petition Drive

The Family Violence Option (FVO), a state option included in the federal welfare reform law, allows states increased flexibility in applying program requirements of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to families affected by domestic violence. This flexibility helps ensure a successful and safe transition from welfare to work. Illinois is among only a handful of states that have not already adopted the FVO.

The FVO can be adopted by a state administratively and/or legislatively. The National Center on Poverty Law (NCPL) is working in coalition with domestic violence service providers and advocates for immediate administrative adoption of the FVO by Illinois Gov. George Ryan and the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) and subsequent legislative adoption by the Illinois General Assembly in the spring. We believe both administrative and legislative adoption is needed for the State of Illinois to demonstrate a serious commitment to the well-being of women and children in Illinois.

This coalition of domestic violence service providers and advocates will be sending Governor Ryan a letter to request that he adopt the FVO and to meet with him to discuss FVO issues. Please contact Jennifer King at Southwest Women Working Together (SWWT), 773.582.0550, to review a copy of the letter and to add your name and/or the name of your organization to the letter. The next meeting of the coalition will be on Monday, November 29, at 9:30 a.m. at the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network, 220 South State Street, Chicago. We will be discussing the language of the FVO legislation to be introduced in the General Assembly in February. Everyone, not just domestic violence service providers and advocates, is invited to sign onto the letter and contribute ideas on statutory language and implementation.

Also, we are initiating a petition drive to support our efforts. Click here  (En español) to download and print a petition that urges the Governor and the General Assembly to adopt the FVO. Please copy the petition, distribute it widely, and ask your friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, and clients to sign the petition. Mail signed petitions to Jennifer King, SWWT, 4051 W. 63d St., Chicago, IL 60629, by December 31, 1999.

If you have any questions about the FVO, the campaign for its adoption, or the petitions, contact Wendy Pollack, National Center on Poverty Law, 312.263.3830 ext. 238, or Jennifer King, SWWT, 773. 582.0550.

Thank you for your help on this important matter to women and children in Illinois.