Innovative Project Will Increase Support for At-Risk Youth Through Performance-Based Contracts Backed by Private Investment

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today announced the state's first Pay for Success (PFS) contract will increase support for at-risk youth who are involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems in Illinois. Also known as Social Impact Bonds, the first contract awarded under this innovative initiative will go to One Hope United, in partnership with the Conscience Community Network (CCN). Today's announcement is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to ensure that all Illinois youth have the opportunity to follow their dreams and reach their full potential.

"The innovative Pay for Success model will generate major investments and improve outcomes for some of our most at-risk youth," Governor Quinn said. "One Hope United and CCN's evidence-based approach will help these youth successfully transition into adulthood."

Governor Quinn launched the PFS program one year ago, aiming to provide critical resources to address community needs while decreasing long-term negative outcomes that are costly for taxpayers. The innovative program invests private dollars into proven social programs, which are then paid back by the state when results are achieved and long-term savings are realized. The state will then see continued savings as benefits accrue after the investments are paid off.

For the state's first PFS project, the program will generate new private investment for support programs targeting at-risk youth, putting them on the right path by reducing their dependence on the state's welfare and criminal justice systems, which will lead to long-term savings for taxpayers. Today's announcement is expected to generate up to $30 million in direct investment into these critical programs. Because success payments by the state are based upon achievement of outcomes, the PFS program will always be cost-neutral to taxpayers.

In September of 2013, the Governor's Office launched a Request for Proposals (RFP) from organizations seeking to partner with the state to fund new opportunities for at-risk youth involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. One Hope United and the Conscience Community Network were selected from six applications submitted in response to the RFP. As part of Governor Quinn's commitment to transparency, Illinois was the first state in the nation to publish responses related to a Pay for Success Request for Information.

"Scars of trauma and pain can lead abused and neglected youth towards criminal behavior as well as a deeper involvement in the child welfare system," Mark McHugh, Executive Director of One Hope United said. "This Pay for Success project will catalyze a comprehensive solution that responds to the unique challenges of dually-involved youth throughout the state. Together with the partners of the Conscience Community Network, we are establishing the foundation for lasting cross-systems change that benefits Illinois' most disadvantaged children and families."

One Hope United will serve as lead provider of the Conscience Community Network. They have proposed a project based on the Crossover Youth Practice Model, a set of proven interventions developed by the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University. Third Sector Capital Partners is providing financial advisory services to the network.

The Conscience Community Network is a collaboration of seven child welfare and juvenile providers with more than 741 years of collective service in Illinois: Lawrence Hall Youth Services, Maryville Academy, OMNI Youth Services, One Hope United, SGA Youth & Family Services, UCAN and Youth Outreach Services.

The Governor's Office of Management and Budget will be entering into negotiations with One Hope United on a project to improve placement outcomes and reduce re-arrests through evidence-based community alternatives to institutional care. The program will serve approximately 800 youth cared for by Illinois' Department of Children and Family Services with histories of justice-involvement, commonly referred to as dually-involved youth.

In his fiscal year 2015 budget, the Governor committed to growing the state's use of PFS contracts as part of his five-year fiscal stabilization plan.

The Harvard Kennedy School's Social Impact Bond Technical Assistance Lab (SIB Lab), in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation, received a grant from the Aurora-based Dunham Fund to support the initiative in Illinois. The Rockefeller Foundation has been a leader in helping to bring the PFS model to U.S. and the Dunham Fund is expanding that investment to Illinois. The Harvard SIB Lab is providing technical assistance to 10 state and local governments around the country that are implementing PFS contracts. Innovation Fellow Scott Kleiman is leading the SIB Lab's work in Illinois.

In the PFS model, governments partner with service providers and private and philanthropic investors to scale and fund proven social programs. Investors are repaid by the state from accrued savings only when a rigorous third-party evaluation determines that programs reach specific outcome targets. Because effective programs can help avoid expensive negative outcomes, PFS contracts help avert long-term taxpayer costs.  They represent a smarter way for government to do business, furthering transparency and accountability to ensure that taxpayer funds are not spent on ineffective programs.

Illinois is on the leading edge of PFS among states in the U.S., following New York and Massachusetts. The world's first PFS contract was introduced in the U.K. in 2010. Illinois becomes the third state in the country to announce a PFS project and the first to implement PFS towards improving child welfare outcomes, as well as the first to partner with a network of community providers for service delivery.

For more information on Pay for Success in Illinois, please visit www.payforsuccess.illinois.gov.

It's a common occurrence among the most talented people in the corporate world - highly skilled and qualified workers make the leap from valued employee to uncertain business owner.

Unfortunately, rather than becoming a master of their own business, many of these entrepreneurs work twice as much as they did in their safe corporate job, unwittingly committing themselves to becoming the lowest rung on the ladder, says Zenovia Andrews, founder and CEO of The MaxOut Group, a company devoted to empowering and teaching entrepreneurs development strategies to increase profits.

"People believe that starting a new business is supposed to mean they'll have to work much longer hours, and that's why most new businesses fail early," says Andrews, author of the new book "All Systems Go - A Solid Blueprint to Build Business and Maximize Cash Flow," (www.zenoviaandrews.com).

"Entrepreneurs need to be the brains and oversight of the operation. It's not wise to work for your own business. Sixteen-hour days get entrepreneurs lost in the minutiae. The lose perspective and burn out."

Business owners need distance for perspective, and the best way to create that is by knowing how to delegate duties to employees, she says.

"Owners need to be the strategic visionary who hires, trains and develops the best talent available, and then delegates work," says Andrews, who discusses the five keys of delegation.

•  Understand that your team is made up of human beings. No one can work nonstop, so get your timing right. Know what each employee can handle, and never overwork them. Most people perform at their best when they are consistently busy but not rushed or pressured.

•  Focus on the strengths of your team. Delegation is not a dump-and-run tactic. Know your employees and how they fit into your business puzzle. Allow them to do what they do well, and give them responsibilities and authority. They'll be happier and so will you.

•  Focus on your own strengths, then plug the holes. Few of us are great at everything! If bookkeeping's not your thing, hire an accountant. If you don't have marketing experience, find someone with proven skills. Trying to perform jobs that you don't do well will require twice as much effort with less-than-satisfactory results.

•  Be the resource king or queen. Your employees are only as good as the resources they have. Make sure that they are equipped to always do the best work for you on a daily basis. Running out of stock, not having new software and not shelling out for that desperately need printer is NOT good delegation.

•  Become the fire, ice and motivation behind your team. When they need guidance, give it to them; when they need appreciation, offer it to them. Inspire, motivate and lead by supporting your delegated decisions and following up on them often.

"Business owners need to be the big thinkers: to identify patterns both good and bad; to become an idea machine and testing fanatic; to fill out details from outlined strategy; to be aware of market trends; to always have one eye on the competition; and to develop an instinct for the people with whom you like to work," Andrews says.

About Zenovia Andrews

Zenovia Andrews, www.zenoviaandrews.com, is a business development strategist with extensive experience in corporate training, performance management, leadership development and sales consulting with international clients, including Pfizer, Inc. and Novartis Pharmaceuticals. A sought-after speaker and radio/TV personality, she is the author of "All Systems Go" and "MAXOut: I Want It All."

Congressman says he will continue effort to restore the minimum wage

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today issued the following statement after the United States Senate failed to successfully move forward with Sen. Tom Harkin's Minimum Wage Fairness Act, which would have restored the minimum wage to $10.10. Although the bill received the support of 54 senators, it failed to acquire the 60 votes it needed to advance.

"It's a sad day for the 300,000 Iowans who work long hours in tough jobs and are struggling to provide the basics for themselves and their families," Braley said. "America shouldn't be a country where you can work a tough, full-time job and come home and find yourself and your family living in poverty."

Braley recently signed a 'discharge petition' designed to force a vote on the minimum wage in the U.S. House.

Earlier this year, Braley released a report on the minimum wage showing that since 1968, Iowans making the minimum wage have seen their real incomes fall by more than 30 percent. This means a parent with one child working 40 hours a week at a minimum wage job is living in poverty. Today, roughly 46,000 Iowans work jobs that pay at or below the minimum wage. Braley's report indicated that over 300,000 Iowans would receive a raise if the minimum wage was raised to $10.10.

His report examines how the purchasing power of minimum wage earners has decreased dramatically over time, resulting in many minimum wage earners living in poverty despite working 40 hours a week. The report also illustrates that over time the gap has steadily grown between minimum wage earnings and earnings of the average worker.

Senate expected to vote on Fair Tax Act tomorrow; citizens from all corners of the state will demand a 'YES' vote from legislators in both chambers to put Fair Tax on November ballot

Springfield - With just 72 hours until the deadline to pass the Fair Tax Act, over 1,000 citizens from all corners of the state will gather in Springfield tomorrow to demand lawmakers vote 'YES' on resolutions that would put the Fair Tax on the November ballot. A Fair Tax - with lower rates for lower incomes and higher rates for higher incomes - is supported by 77% of Illinois voters.

The first four months of 2014 have seen a robust discussion about abandoning our state's unfair, regressive 'flat' tax - that results in low and middle income Illinoisans paying two to three times the tax rate that the richest 1% pay - and has put the Fair Tax on the brink of passage, which would continue the conversation into November and let Illinois voters have the final say.

Hundreds and hundreds of parents, seniors, small business owners, educators, health care and human service providers; and ordinary taxpayers will hold a rally and press conference at the Lincoln Statue in front of the Capitol Building at 11:30am.  Following the press conference, citizens will participate in one-on-one visits with their legislators to send them one final and resounding message: "We the People" deserve to decide on the Fair Tax for ourselves in November.

Under the Fair Tax rates proposed by Chief Senate sponsor Don Harmon and Chief House sponsor Christian Mitchell in SB350, 94% of Illinoisans earning up to $205,000 would receive a tax cut over what they currently pay - with residents earning the median income of $55,137 receiving a $303 break. The proposal would also avoid draconian cuts to vital services like education, health and human services, and public safety currently on the table if 2011 rates are allowed to simply expire.

Currently, Illinois lawmakers are prohibited?constitutionally barred?from enacting a Fair Tax. The Fair Tax Act simply allows citizens to vote in the upcoming November election on whether or not they want a Fair Tax.  The effective deadline for lawmakers to put a Fair Tax on the ballot is Thursday, May 1^st.

***Media interested in covering the event can RSVP to  neal@abetterillinois.org***

What: With just 72 hours until the deadline to pass the Fair Tax Act, over 1,000 citizens from all corners of the state will hold a press conference and rally demanding their lawmakers vote 'YES' to allow Illinois voters the opportunity to choose for themselves on the Fair Tax on the November ballot

When: Tuesday, April 29^th, 11:30AM

Where: Lincoln Statue, Capitol Building, Springfield

Who: Over One Thousand Illinoisans Voters

Kristen Crowell, Campaign Director of A Better Illinois

Sen. Don Harmon, Chief Sponsor of the Fair Tax Act and SB 350

Rep. Christian Mitchell, Chief Sponsor of the Fair Tax Act

Dan Montgomery, President of the Illinois Federation of Teachers

Chris Dupuis, Small Business Owner from Naperville

Rev. Marilyn Pagan Banks

A Child Care Provider

Others

In addition to the formal program there will be a number of small business owners, faith and community leaders, parents, child care providers, and ordinary taxpayers from all across Illinois available to speak to the media starting at 11:15 AM (and after the program, as well.)  Please contact Neal Waltmire, if you would like to schedule an interview.

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