Happy Passover & Easter
Happy Passover and Easter for those who celebrate. I’m looking forward to spending a quiet Passover with the kids and a couple of friends, then sharing Easter brunch with dear friends we haven’t seen since before session started!

I plan to use this weekend to reflect and relax for just a bit. It has been a marathon of a legislative session. I am very pleased with what we were able to accomplish in such a short time. For details in regards to the budget and the legislative victories please click below:


Future newsletters In the past, we’ve invited guests to share their views in the newsletter. This was particularly true during the height of the pandemic when we shared perspectives from medical professionals, teachers, and a vet from a local animal shelter among others. We really enjoyed connecting with local experts and the columns were very well received. We’re bringing it back and periodically will feature a guest column called "On The Spot." This guest column will offer a chance to hear directly from experts, local leaders, and those doing on-the-ground work in their given field. We’re always open to hearing ideas about whom you’d like to hear from. For any questions regarding this guest column email repcassidy@gmail.com.
Holiday Office Hours
Northside Resource Day
Northside Resource Day
Secretary of State Sign-Ups
This month we are excited to be hosting our Northside Resource Day event with a multitude of other local and state officials.
The Secretary of State's Office will be offering a variety of services, listed above. You can find the registration form here: bit.ly/SOS-SignUp. You must register to reserve yourself a spot. There are plenty! You can find required document and fee information here: bit.ly/SOS-Drive.

Please see below for other organizations that will be in attendance.
Neighborhood Shoutouts
Artist of the Week
In honor of Youth Art Month, I chose an artist of the week whose artwork was used to decorate our district office space.

This week's featured artist is Alissa W., a 2nd grader, who painted a beautiful rainbow heart piece. Great work Alissa!

Thank you to all the young artists whose artwork we received! Our district office has never looked so good!
In the District
49th Ward Clean & Green
Save the date for this year's city-wide Clean & Green event, which is scheduled for Saturday, April 23rd! We are happy to partner with the 49th Ward for this event. This is a day when neighbors across the city, in collaboration with the Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS), get together to help beautify their neighborhoods by keeping them clean and safe for everyone.

Our Rogers Park event will kick off at 10 am. The 49th Ward office will provide all of the materials necessary. No prior registration is required! Just meet at either the 49th Ward Office (1447 W Morse Ave) or at Pottawattomie Park (7340 N. Rogers Ave), and from there, you may head over to the area in the ward that you'd like to clean up. We hope you can join us! 
48th Ward Clean & Green
Next Saturday, April 23rd is the annual 48th Ward Clean and Green, a day where neighbors come together to clean up our shared outdoor areas. Please email alan@48thward.org for more details.
Baby Wranglers of Rogers Park Easter Egg Hunt
The local neighborhood group known as The Baby Wranglers of Rogers Park will be hosting an Easter Egg Hunt! Please come with your family and join in at Morse and the lake. The event starts at 10 am on Saturday, April 16th.
COVID-19 Updates
What's Our Status?
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) recently announced that it will no longer report seven-day average case positivity rates. Positivity rates normally offer a glance at how quickly virus is spreading. This was seen as critical early in the pandemic. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention now places more importance on case rates and hospitalizations due to having vaccines and other treatments available. IDPH will now be focusing solely on:

  • Total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 7 days.
  • New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 residents in the past 7 days.
  • The percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients.

The above graph highlights the case rate per 100,000 Illinois residents on April 13th. By April 15th the case rate jumped to 15.8 percent. However, hospitalization rates continue to remain low. For more details regarding the status of COVID in Illinois click here.

Chicago is now averaging more than 400 new COVID cases per day. This used to be a number that would trigger mandates. However, with vaccines widely available and many people not reporting positive at-home tests this has been seen as an imperfect metric. Also, with hospitalizations down 17 percent compared to last week I do not get a sense the city will reinstate an indoor mask mandate.

Please click here to see the status of COVID in our zip codes. BA.2 has been known to spread more quickly but has not yet been shown to cause more severe symptoms. Again, we we must continue to remain prepared.

Being vaccinated and boosted is critical to limit the major impacts of future pandemic waves we are to face as new variants come along. Please be up to date with your vaccines and continue to test when needed.
To find a vaccine clinic within the City of Chicago click here.

For questions or info regarding COVID-19 testing click here.
COVID-19 Count as of Friday, April 15th:

Statewide Totals: 3,094,485 confirmed cases, 33,504 deaths and 21,648,058 vaccines administered

If you have questions related to COVID-19 you can contact the
Illinois Department of Public Health:
Hotline: 800-889-3931
Email: dph.sick@illinois.gov

City of Chicago's Department of Public Health:
Hotline: 312-746-4835
Email: coronavirus@chicago.gov
IDPH Free COVID-19 Test 
The Illinois Department of Public Health is proud to be partnering with the Rockefeller Foundation to offer free COVID-19 tests to households in identified priority zip codes across the state. Eligibility is based on zip codes with the highest risk of Covid-19, using the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) combined with state data on Covid-19 burden.

The website is live. Constituents living in eligible zip codes can go to www.AccessCovidTests.org to order a free test kit.
  • Each household will receive 1 kit with five tests within one to two weeks after ordering.
  • No payment information is required — both the tests and shipping are free to eligible residents.
  • The program is currently limited to one order per residential address.
Resources
REMINDER:
The Tax Filing Deadline is Monday, April 18th!
Apply to Vote By Mail
The Chicago Board of Elections is now accepting applications for vote by mail ballots for the June 28, 2022 primary. Beginning in May, the Board of Elections will start mailing ballots, which will include postage-paid return envelopes. 

Thanks to a new Illinois law, voters now have the option to join a permanent vote by mail roster to have their ballots sent directly to their preferred mailing address ahead of every election. Voters can opt in to this option when applying for a vote by mail ballot online. 

For more information and to complete the vote by mail application, visit the Board of Elections website here
Illinois Homeowner Assistance Program
The Illinois Homeowner Assistance Fund (ILHAF) program offers assistance to Illinois homeowners who have struggled to pay their mortgage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ILHAF is funded through the U.S. Department of Treasury and starting today, they will begin accepting applications for grants of up to $30,000 to eliminate or reduce past-due mortgage and property tax payments.

For more information, visit the Illinois Housing Development Authority's website here.
LIHEAP Utility Assistance
City Utility Assistance
Utility Billing Relief (UBR) provides low-income City of Chicago residents with a reduced rate on their water, sewer, and water-sewer tax as well as debt relief for those who demonstrate they can manage the reduced rate bills for one year. Benefits for UBR participants include:

  • A reduced rate on water, sewer, and water-sewer tax
  • No late payment penalties or debt collection activity including water shut-off
  • Debt forgiveness after successfully completing one year with no past due balance

Operating in partnership with the Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County (CEDA), who operates the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the UBR program will utilize their expertise and extensive network of partner organizations to conduct outreach and enroll homeowners. For more information and how to apply, visit here.
Refugee Group Services for Assyrians
International Refugee and Immigrants Community Services provides services to Assyrians and other refugees including the following:

  • Mental health counseling – International Refugee and Immigrants Community Services helps provide placement into mental health services and assistance in filling out forms and applying for help.
  • Family counselingInternational Refugee and Immigrants Community Services has a social worker to assist families suffering from financial, health care, or mental health struggles.
  • Computer trainingInternational Refugee and Immigrants Community Services has trained individuals to prepare them for jobs and to use broadband to be connected to services.
  • English language and writing development
  • Basic home supplies like bedding, shoes, clothing, cosmetics, toiletries, along with other items.

If you need services or assistance, please visit the organization’s website at www.irics.org or call Donald Giyo at 773-573-5473.
Free English Classes Through Chinese Mutual Aid
Youth and Teen
Big Brothers Big Sisters Program
Summer Start Program at City Colleges
Youth Pathways Program at Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center
Middle School Voices at Loyola Park
Senior Resources
Avoiding Scams Event
In-Home COVID Booster Appointments
The Protect Chicago at Home program is offering homebound residents and seniors who received their in-home vaccines earliest to schedule their booster shot appointment. To make an appointment for a visit, call 312-746-4835 or register at Protect Chicago at Home. For more information on the Chicago Booster Shot Program, visit here.
Job Openings
Chicago City Council is Hiring for CCPSA
In July 2021, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance establishing a new model for police oversight, accountability and public safety. The ordinance creates two bodies: a Citywide Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA), with power to advance systemic reform, and District Councils which will be elected in each police district and work to improve policing and public safety in the district. Both entities will increase public safety by bringing police officers and Chicago residents together to plan and prioritize, building mutual trust, strengthening the
police accountability system, giving Chicagoans a meaningful new role in oversight, and exploring and advancing alternative effective approaches to public safety.

They are currently recruiting for three key positions: a First Deputy, a Deputy Director, and an Executive Assistant. For more information on job descriptions, qualifications, and salary, visit this Google Drive folder.
Transportation Security Administration is Hiring
Workforce Outreach Event
Chicago Park District is Hiring Life Guards
As summer approaches, the Park District has begun looking for qualified candidates to join their aquatics team. The Chicago Park District employs 300 lifeguards a year in order to offer aquatics programming. They hire an additional 500 lifeguards to safeguard beaches and pools. 

Candidates for Seasonal Lifeguard positions must be 16 years old and over, a resident of Chicago, and fully vaccinated. Future lifeguards must also pass the swim skills test and become American Red Cross certified. Pay for entry level lifeguards starts at $15.88. To apply today, visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/lifeguards.
Sincerely,

Kelly Cassidy
State Representative, 14th District

Office of State Representative Kelly Cassidy

5533 N Broadway

Chicago IL 60640
773-784-2002(phone)
773-784-2060(fax)