HEALING CENTERED STATE | Communities United

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Healing, Unity, and Power:

A vision led by impacted communities

On mental health awareness month, we are in Springfield to:

Shift the narrative by uplifting stories and increasing awareness of mental health resources for young people and families.
Strengthen a healing-centered state led by directly impacted communities, building on last year’s momentum.
Advance policy demands that expand equitable access to mental health, address root causes of violence, protect affordable housing to prevent displacement, and defend immigrant rights and ensure access to education for all.

Our Demands

Affordable Mental Health and Healthcare Services: Protect and expand access to equitable mental health support and healthcare services for youth and families across Illinois, regardless of one’s immigration status, income or ability. Investment and development could look like:
- Pipeline of Mental Health Workers: Creating a pipeline of mental health professionals from different communities, especially from Black and Brown communities, who are encouraged to practice within communities they identify with.
- Reducing Barriers to Recovery: Shifting low-level drug possession from felonies to misdemeanors in Illinois and investing in mental health supports.
- Challenge Unfair Convictions: Allow for all people challenge any unfair conviction or sentence, even long after it happened.
  - Allow new evidence to reopen cases: Allow people who serve sentences to reopen their cases if they have new evidence of innocence.