Federal funding cuts coming to Community Assistance Program, or CAPS, which helps keep seniors employed
Share this @internewscast.com

CHICAGO (WLS) — Federal funding cuts are coming to programs that help keep seniors employed.

Some organizations say they found just this week that the cuts will mean sending their senior clients home.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

The Community Assistance Program, widely recognized as CAPS, announced they have received notification indicating that come Monday, they must deny assistance to 141 seniors who rely on them for employment opportunities. In the absence of federal funding, they fear some seniors might face homelessness.

Seniors Friday said they have worked all their lives, and they’ll have to keep working to stay afloat.

“It’s like a little piece of heaven to make ends meet,” CAPs client Sandra L. Robinson said.

At 67, Robinson reflects on her long work history, having started at 16, now witnessing the closure of her beloved Community Assistance Program. This senior community service initiative offers jobs and training to over 100 seniors with annual incomes below $18,000.

“We were told that if anybody worked after the first of July, they would not pay for it,” Community Assistance Program CEO Sheryl Holman said.

Holman revealed that the recent federal budget excludes funding for the program. Consequently, the Illinois Department of Aging is unable to approve seniors to continue their employment.

“I’m chasing dollars now,” Holman said. “This program is vital to them. They have nothing else. I mean, who can live off $1,000 a month?”

Holman says CAPS receives over $2 million in government funding. She says she has clients who will have no way to pay rent or for life-saving medication, like insulin.

“It’s going to be tight. I have my rent. I have my meals and the medication. And I depend on the job that covered that part of it,” CAPS client Tammy Spivey said.

The seniors are already sending letters out to their representatives and even working on their job resumes.

“I don’t want to stay at home and sit, and I’m not going to stay at home and sit,” CAPS Client Juanita Wright said.

Some, like Wright, are employed through CAPS, at the Atlas Senior Center.

Just a few weeks ago, they were celebrating Senior Day.

Now, they’re trying to keep hope alive.

“Seniors have paid their price. They’ve worked their timeline. And here they are again,” Holman said.

CAPS said their senior program is so valuable that their current waiting list is 120 people.

The Illinois Department on Aging did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
EMBARGOED TO 0001 SUNDAY JULY 6 File photo dated 10/06/25 of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during a reception for London Tech Week, at no 10 Downing Street, London. Sir Keir Starmer has been urged not to "punish" children by keeping the two-child cap following Labour's U-turn on benefit cuts. The SNP urged the Prime Minister to end the limit amid reports it could stay as a result of Labour scrapping most of its welfare reforms. Issue date: Sunday July 6, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire

Keir Affirms His Commitment to ‘Island of Strangers’ Message, Emphasizing the Need for UK to Be an Integrated Society

SIR Keir Starmer has affirmed his ongoing commitment to the message behind…
Georgia teen who raised 'awareness' about mother, stepfather's deaths on TikTok now charged with their murder

Georgia Teen Who Publicly Mourned Parents on TikTok Is Now Charged with Their Murders

In Georgia, a teenage girl is facing charges for the alleged murders…
Boeing settles with a man whose family died in a 737 Max crash in Ethiopia

Boeing Reaches Settlement with Man After 737 Max Crash Claims His Family in Ethiopia

Boeing reached an agreement on Friday with a Canadian man whose wife…
Motorcycle police officer writing a traffic ticket.

New Law Imposes ‘$5 Per Mile’ Fine for Drivers from August 1, Alongside Increased Parking Ticket Fees

TICKET fees are about to face a major hike for certain drivers…
World's oldest domesticated dog breed has cohabited with humans for 1,000 years, new study shows — but their population is plummeting

Ancient Dog Breed, Living Alongside Humans for a Millennium, Faces Rapid Decline, New Research Reveals

It gives new meaning to dog years. For nearly 10,000 years, people…
South River, New Jersey police officers save 1-year-old choking child, body camera video shows

Heroic South River Police Officers Rescue Choking Toddler in Heart-Pounding Bodycam Footage

SOUTH RIVER, N.J. — Police officers in New Jersey jumped into action…
Driver arrested after attempting to drive through fence at US military base: authorities

Authorities Detain Driver for Trying to Break Through Fence at US Military Base

Officials in Virginia said an unauthorized individual attempted to enter Joint Base…
Therapist sitting in front of hyperbaric chambers.

Therapist, 43, Tragically Perishes in Fiery Blaze Inside Oxygen Chamber After Sudden Fire at His Clinic

A PHYSICAL therapist has been burned alive inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber…
Shanna Gardner's onto jailhouse snitches, even murderers and human traffickers

Shanna Gardner Targets Informants in Jail, Including Killers and Human Traffickers

On May 23, Gardner’s legal team submitted a motion requesting a court…
Woman giving a speech at a podium.

Emotional Scene as Teenage Girl Delivers Tearful Eulogy for Murdered Mother and Stepfather, Leading to Her Being a Prime Suspect

This is the poignant moment when a teenager delivered an emotional funeral…
2025 Illinois measles cases: Health officials declare end of outbreak in southern Illinois

Southern Illinois Measles Outbreak Concludes: Health Officials Announce in 2025

CHICAGO (WLS) — Health officials in Illinois declared an end to an…
Mugshot of a man in a yellow shirt.

Justin Mohn Convicted of Murdering Father and Posting Disturbing Video Online

A SICK man who slashed his dad’s head with a machete and…