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Grounded in Community: An Agenda for Creating a Healing-Centered State

On May 15th, 2025, over 100 community members from across the city traveled 200 miles from Chicago to Springfield, IL. to attend our annual Advocacy Day event. Young people, adult allies, and community partners shared their lived experiences, educated our Illinois elected officials and advocated for a Healing-Centered State with investments in mental health, community solutions for safety and supportive schools. These efforts supported by Communities UNited alongside partners and coalitions paved the way for several key legislative victories:

Ending the use of fines, ticket and law enforcement penalties for students facing truancy. Ensuring students are met with support and not punishment
Opposing the replacement of mental health care with cold systems like AI therapy
Guarantee the right for free education for all students regardless of immigration status.
And many more more victories led by our communities

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.