ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – In Winnebago County, voters may find a familiar question on their November ballot: a half-cent sales tax for “mental health purposes.”
The referendum was first held in 2020, when more than 62% of respondents approved funding for mental health services. A sunset clause requires an extension, ratified by a public vote, but before the general election, the county council must decide whether to allow the ballot question.
For some local nonprofits, this issue was critical: They wanted to ensure funding for life-saving programs for those in need.
“One in five people has contact with someone who suffers from a mental illness,” says Sue Schroeder, CEO of Stepping Stones.
The Rockford-area nonprofit provides inpatient psychiatric care for people with “severe, persistent mental illness.” In 2023, $1,650,000 went toward improving the charity’s housing capacity. Additionally, tax revenue for the year totaled nearly $20 million.
“Without the half cent VAT, we would not have been able to create new housing for people in need,” says Schroeder.
Decades before the tax was introduced, Stepping Stones cared for around 160 mentally ill people; this year alone, 700 will receive help.
“Since then, there has only been growth,” says Schroeder.
The Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board (WCCMB) uses the tax to fund mental health and substance abuse programs. County Board member for the 14th District Tim Nabors (D) believes the recent local success is due to the funding.
“The network we have far exceeds what we already had and what we needed,” says Nabors. He credits the tax with improving public safety and promoting job growth: “Invest in people and in the quality of our workforce. We can also increase the availability of the jobs that come to Rockford.”
WCCMB funds 44 organizations and agencies – each offering a broad range of treatment options, case management, crisis response and more.
Lifescape Community Services raises approximately $160,000 for its mental health efforts, including its senior mental health program.
“The risk of suicide is high among older people, so we really want to reach those who are sometimes left behind,” says Drysdale.
According to the director, Lifescape is the only mental health service for older people, but in its second year, the social service organization will be able to do even more thanks to tax revenue.
“Youth empowerment, safe housing, counseling services. I mean, it’s really endless,” says Drysdale. “The referrals we’re able to make and receive from our partner agencies thanks to funding from the Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board.”
Pending approval by the County Council and voters, the tax extension would begin on July 1, 2026. A report from the WCCMB on its 2023-2024 programs can be found here.
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