Public Accountability Report

The mission of the Department of Human Services (DHS) is to assist our customers in achieving maximum self-sufficiency, independence, and health through the provision of seamless, integrated services for individuals, families, and communities. DHS improves the quality of life of thousands of Illinois families by providing an array of comprehensive, coordinated services through the following programs:

Family and Community Services (FCS). This division emphasizes a structure that provides services along a social service continuum from birth to death and represents a comprehensive approach to meeting the basic needs of DHS customers, including access to food (i.e., SNAP and food bank/pantry); nutrition education; prenatal and infant services; housing assistance; domestic violence referrals; immigrant and refugee services; youth services; income assistance (i.e., TANF); employment and training; and other supportive services. FCS staff also helps clients find services provided by other DHS divisions, state agencies, and local communities.

Division of Early Childhood (DEC). DEC’s North Star aspiration is that it equips pregnant persons, young children, and families with the supports they need to achieve their full potential by providing whole-child development through child care, home visiting, and early intervention programs and services. In fiscal year 2025, the division allocated more than $2.8 billion in state and federal funds, investing in our frontline early childhood providers, while providing critical support to working families throughout Illinois.

Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS). DRS is the state’s lead agency serving individuals with disabilities. DRS works in partnership with people with disabilities and their families to assist them in making informed choices to achieve full community participation through employment, education, and independent living opportunities. DRS delivers services directly through our local offices and in partnership with a network of over 300 community service providers, reaching every part of Illinois. DHS services touch the lives of one out of five Illinois citizens each year.

The Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) delivers services and supports for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) through a statewide network of community providers, private Intermediate Care Facilities, and seven state-operated developmental centers. DDD’s work promotes community inclusion, employment, health and safety, and personal choice, with an emphasis on expanding community-based services and reducing reliance on institutional care.

In fiscal year 2025, DDD enrolled 181 individuals in crisis into Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers and selected 1,506 individuals from the PUNS list, including all adults waiting more than 42 months—exceeding requirements under the Ligas Consent Decree. The division expanded behavioral health capacity through new stabilization homes, invested in smaller community settings by approving 13 new CILA sites serving 31 individuals, and advanced integrated employment through the Dignity in Pay Program with 15 grantees selected.

The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) is a self-supporting and mission-driven state agency dedicated to financing the creation and preservation of affordable housing in Illinois. IHDA offers affordable mortgages and down payment assistance for homebuyers, provides financing for the development of affordable rental housing, and manages a variety of assistance programs to create communities where all Illinoisans can live, work, and thrive.

Division of Mental Health Services (DMH). DMH provides inpatient mental health services through its operation of seven accredited state hospitals and one treatment detention facility. DMH provides funding to 200+ community mental health centers (CMHCs) and community hospitals to provide community-based mental health care across the state. CMHC staff include credentialed mental health professionals, such as licensed physicians, board-certified psychiatrists, licensed clinical psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, licensed counselors, registered nurses, and certified recovery support specialists.

Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (SUPR). As the single state authority for substance use disorders (SUD) in Illinois, the mission of SUPR is to provide a recovery-oriented system of care along the continuum of prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery support in which individuals with SUD and gambling disorders, those in recovery, and those at risk are valued and treated with dignity and in which stigma and accompanying attitudes, discrimination, and other barriers to recovery are eliminated. SUPR is charged with designing, coordinating, funding, and licensing a comprehensive and coordinated community-based culturally and gender-appropriate array of services throughout the state.