Senator Suzy invites community organizations to participate in free senior fairs

OAKBROOK TERRACE— State Senator Suzy Glowiak is searching for community organizations and small businesses to participate in her series of summer senior fairs.

The first of several planned free seniors fairs will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, June 17 at the first gym of the Family Recreation Center located at the Oak Brook Park District (1450 Forest Gate Road, Oak Brook).

“Our goal for these senior fairs is to create a one-stop shop for local residents to connect with as many local and state organizations and agencies to learn more about services available,” Glowiak said.

Glowiak is requesting vendors begin setup for the senior fair one hour prior to doors opening to the general public.

The second senior fair will be on Monday, July 15 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Lisle Park District (1925 Ohio St, Lisle).

Interested local organizations and businesses can click here register for the senior fairs.

“I look forward to meeting with local residents, organizations and businesses this summer,” Glowiak said. “If you cannot make it to this senior fair, please visit our website to sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date with future events our office is hosting.”

For more information please call Glowiak’s office at (630) 785-3177.

To protect privacy of assault survivors, Suzy Glowiak moves to seal address records

SPRINGFIELD – The addresses of Illinois survivors of sexual assault would be given confidentiality under a plan by State Senator Suzy Glowiak.

Glowiak passed House Bill 2818, which empowers the Attorney General's Office to help keep the home addresses of survivors private from their attackers and stalkers.

“It is vital that we maintain our commitment to protect survivors of sexual assault and stalking,” Glowiak said. “When our survivors perform the courageous act of seeking justice, they aren’t just leaving a painful situation behind: They are often making themselves the target of a violent person who knows them intimately. To give them the opportunity to take steps toward healing and feeling safe again, we must move to protect their privacy.”

The measure allows survivors of sexual abuse or stalking to list the Attorney General's Office as their contact address instead of revealing their actual address, running the risk that their abuser may locate them.

The program is currently established for victims of domestic violence. House Bill 2818 expands its availability to all survivors of sexual abuse and stalking.

House Bill 2818 passed the Senate with bipartisan support and now heads to the House for a concurrence vote.

Suzy Glowiak fights youth homelessness in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Suzy Glowiak is working to stomp out homelessness in Illinois, especially among children and youth.

Glowiak  (D-Western Springs) passed House Bill 2983, which creates the Youth Homelessness Prevention Subcommittee under the Governor's Cabinet on Children and Youth.

The subcommittee will review and make recommendations about the discharge policies and procedures for each agency that handles youth leaving the state's custody or guardianship to ensure youth housing stability.

“That we have homeless children is an indictment of our system of governance,” Glowiak said. “We need to find solutions to end homelessness among youth in our communities, and to provide stability and protection to children whose basic needs are not being met.”

According to the General Assembly’s findings, 1 out of 10 people between the ages of 18-25 are experiencing homelessness for some amount of time over a 12-month period. For those age 13-17, 1 in 30 experience a form of homelessness over a 12-month period.

“The least that any child in Illinois should expect is stable and secure housing. Determining how we provide that, and what broader education and employment opportunities to give our homeless youth, will be the purpose of this subcommittee,” Glowiak said.

House Bill 2983 is part of an effort to end youth homelessness by 2020. The Youth Homelessness Prevention Subcommittee will execute the vision set forth by the Cabinet on Children and Youth through efforts to prevent homelessness among youth leaving state systems of care.

“My hope is this subcommittee will create a long-term path to help us reach our goal to eliminate homelessness among our children once and for all,” Glowiak said.

House Bill 2983 passed the Senate with unanimous support and now heads to the governor’s desk for his signature.

Sen. Suzy Glowiak passes measure to fight human trafficking in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD – One of the fastest-growing criminal activities in the world remains largely invisible, but that could change as State Senator Suzy Glowiak works to provide hospitality workers with the tools to spot and report on human trafficking.

Glowiak (D-Western Springs) passed House Bill 3101 on Tuesday, which would require hotels and motels to train employees to recognize the signs of human trafficking and know what to do when reporting it to authorities.

“Just as we’ve discovered that teachers or hairdressers can be the ones who most readily spot the telltale signs of domestic violence, we’re learning that hotel employees might be the ones who spot human trafficking,” Glowiak said. “We all are taught to step up when we see wrongdoing, and this training will give hospitality workers the knowledge and build the confidence to be able to identify signs of human trafficking and act quickly to do the right thing.”

Under the proposal, the Illinois Department of Human Services would develop a human trafficking recognition training program for hotel and motel employees. Human trafficking is now the second-largest criminal activity in the world and the fastest-growing. The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally.

“It’s crucial that we take the lessons learned by other states and implement them in Illinois to help put a stop to this criminal activity,” Glowiak said.

House Bill 3101 passed the Senate’s Human Services Committee with unanimous support and now heads to the full Senate for consideration.