By Cynthia Grau/WJEZ News

With budget talks continuing in Springfield, the fate of many local programs hangs in the balance.

Susan Real, executive director for the East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging, was a guest on Community Forum with Todd Wineburner recently. She described the funding landscape, which continues to be a challenge for them.

“Human services in Illinois are a target to cuts,” Real said. “Just that support for that home-delivered meal or in-home services connecting to a benefit can do so much in helping that older person remain in their own home and not go into institutional care, which is going to cost the state more money. So, that is our biggest challenge right now.”

This program began in 1972 as a planning and funding body to help with programs to support older Americans.

Learn more at eciaaa.org and the full interview with Real can be found at wjez.com in the podcast section.