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css foster care program in judge's hands

Story by LIZ QUIRIN
Messenger editor

Catholic Social Services of Southern Illinois (CSS) is conducting business as usual in spite of the threat of losing its contracts with the state of Illinois for foster care and adoptions, Brad Beck, CSS assistant executive director said.
CSS has offices with state foster care contracts in Belleville, Carbondale and Mt. Vernon, working with about 625 foster children.

The threat of losing state foster care contracts began when the Illinois legislature passed a civil union law without including a religious conscience clause to allow agencies to refer same-sex and hetero-sexual couples cohabiting to other agencies because of their opposition to the law.

“The law, which took effect July 1, permits civil unions for same-sex couples and stipulates that they would have the same rights and benefits as married couples in the state, such as parental and adoption rights,” according to a Catholic News Service story.

CSS believes it would be acceptable to refer unmarried couples to other agencies, “but that our witness is harmed when we do not hold to the beliefs of the Catholic Church,” Beck said. “The legislative intent, as noted by the sponsor of the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, was that no religious entity was to be harmed by this Act, yet many of the 80 or more employees working in foster care would lose their jobs if the state does not renew the contracts with CSS.”

The civil union law was passed without the religious freedom clause.

The dioceses of Joliet, Peoria and Springfield filed a lawsuit in June to stop the state of Illinois from cancelling contracts with those three dioceses.

CCI said “the agencies are being represented by the Thomas More Society.”

While the Diocese of Belleville was not included in the lawsuit and is not expected to join the lawsuit, this diocese would benefit from a decision made in favor of the three dioceses who brought the suit.

“On July 12, the Sangamon County Circuit Court heard a motion for a temporary injunction against the cancellation of these contracts and any transitransition of cases from Catholic Charities (including CSS) to other agencies.

The Diocese of Rockford is not involved in the lawsuit or the disposition of state contracts because at the end of May 2011 the Rockford diocese ended its contract with the state’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) “for foster care and adoptions services due to the threat of potential litigation around this issue,” the CCI statement said.

The Archdiocese of Chicago is not involved in the litigation because the archdiocese does not have contracts with DCFS for foster care or adoption.

Beck said by July 12 he had already received a letter from DCFS that CSS’ contract would not be renewed for fiscal 2011-2012, which ostensibly began July 1.

However, because the state is trying to close out fiscal 2010-2011, paperwork did not arrive at the beginning of the next fiscal year.

The temporary injunction will stop the state from making any changes in foster care until Aug. 17 when “a full hearing on the lawsuit will be held by the Sangamon County Circuit Court,” the CCI statement said.

Currently, CSS has about 625 foster children in its care and about 23 of them served at St. John Bosco Center, a residential facility operated by CSS. The children at the Center will not be affected by the civil union law or the lawsuit.
Beck said the state pays CSS about $9 million for foster care contracts.

Including St. John Bosco and $92,500 in support from the diocese in fiscal 2010-2011, CSS estimates its total revenue at more than $12 million, Beck said. However, the June year-end books have not been closed yet, Beck said.

The bottom line for all of the diocesan CSS offices and staff is caring for children.

Within the state, the four dioceses care for about 2,500 “of the most vulnerable children,” the CCI statement said.
Carbondale regional director, Mary Lou Loos said: “We are in a precarious position. It looks like it is all up to a judge at an August hearing.”

Check The Messenger’s web site at www.bellevillemessenger.org or the Catholic Conference of Illinois at www.catholicconferenceofillinois.org for any updates to this story.