Dear Neighbor,

July has been a month of enjoying Summer with family, spending quality time meeting with constituents in the 7th District, and organizing upcoming events I will be hosting.

My first upcoming event is Mobile Office Hours on Wednesday, August 7th from 12:30-3:00 pm at the Edgewater Chicago Public Library Branch in partnership with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). My constituent services team and folks from IDFPR will be set-up at the library to assist with job licenses, Medicaid/SNAP, senior services, and any questions or concerns you may have. Delays in job licensing with IDFPR is a common case with my constituent service team, and I am pleased to welcome IDFPR to the district to allow constituents 1:1 time to get your licenses processed!

Additionally, I am hosting an outreach and resource event for Survivors of Domestic Violence in partnership with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office on Thursday, August 8th from 6:00-7:00 pm at the Church of the Atonement (5749 N. Kenmore Ave). This event will offer a safe space for survivors to share and advocate for their needs and to receive help connecting directly with resources, state programs, and services available. Full details are below.

Finally, as many of you already know, we lost yet another innocent, beautiful life - Sonya Massey, a young Black woman - at the hands of a reckless and unjust act of violence by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy. You can read my full statement here. When I watched the video of Sonya’s tragic and heart rending last moments, I thought to myself how many Black people don’t feel safe calling on law enforcement when we don’t feel safe. I felt that personally in the moment and it was unsettling. It’s going to take all of us – people of all racial backgrounds and levels of wealth and privilege – demanding much better of our justice systems. We owe that to Sonya’s surviving family and scores of communities across our state who are reeling from this heinous violence that our state’s systems continue to visit on Black bodies with routine regularity. 

As we look to the rest of summer, I wish you healthy and safe days ahead. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office if you need help accessing housing, food, health care, transportation, and any other state-level resource, or wish to advocate for policy and state legislation. 

Sincerely,

Mike Simmons

State Senator | 7th District

Community Updates

Senator Simmons and IDFPR Hosting 7th District Mobile Office Hours at Edgewater Library on Wednesday, August 7th

 

My office is hosting Mobile Office Hours with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) on Wednesday, August 7th from 12:30-3:00 pm at the Edgewater Library Branch located at (6000 N Broadway 2nd Floor). If you or anyone you know is applying for a professional license through the state or needs to apply, please invite them to this event!

Extended wait times for professional license processing with IDFPR is one of the most common problems my office encounters every day. In response, I am bringing IDFPR’s services team directly to our district! My staff will also be available to assist with other State programs at this event, such as Medicaid, SNAP, Senior Ride-Free transit passes, Senior license plate discounts, and any questions or concerns. For any questions, you can call my office at 773-769-1717.

 

Senator Simmons Invites Survivors of Domestic Violence to a 7th District Outreach and Resource Event on Thursday, August 8th

 

In partnership with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, I am organizing and hosting an event for Survivors of Domestic Violence and allies at the Church of the Atonement located at (5749 N. Kenmore Avenue) on Thursday, August 8th from 6:00-7:00 pm. I care deeply for survivors of domestic violence in our community, and want to ensure survivors have easier access to the programs and services they need. This event will provide space for people to share and advocate for their needs, as well as highlight all of the state resources and programs available. If you would like to rsvp in advance, please do so by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. All information is kept confidential. 



Simmons Releases Statement in Response to Death of Sonya Massey



Senator Simmons Breaks Ground at Care For Real’s  Future New Location


Caption: Senator Simmons, along with Care for Real Executive Director Gregory Gross, Alderwoman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, and Care for Real board members and volunteers at the new location groundbreaking ceremony on Sunday, July 21 at 5840 N. Broadway

 


Caption: Senator Simmons sits next to his beloved grandmother, Dorothy, and partner, Michael at the Care for Real Groundbreaking ceremony.

Care For Real is one of the largest food pantries in Edgewater and Rogers Park. It is a mainstay that has served our neighborhoods on the far northside for 54 years, and is on its way to opening their new location at 5840 N. Broadway! The spacious new facility will allow Care For Real to continue meeting the growing need for food and clothing in our community. I was proud to work hard to secure $250,000 in state capital dollars to help break ground on this much needed new building.

This event was particularly special for me because I was able to bring my grandmother, Dorothy, with me so she could see just one of the many ways I support our community as a State Senator! She really enjoyed putting a shovel in the ground with her grandson for such a wonderful cause and with so many wonderful constituents and community members present!

Care for Real is still raising funds to renovate this location, and an opening date is set to be announced at a later date. To learn more and find out how you can support, click here. Their current service locations in Edgewater and Rogers Park are still in operation until the new location is completed. 

 

Senator Simmons Participates in ‘State of State’ Small Business Discussion


Caption: Senator Simmons and Representative Huynh speak about state-level small business support at the State of State event, hosted by northside chambers of commerce at Gideon Welles Craft Bar & Kitchen in Lincoln Square earlier this week.

Earlier this week I was happy to participate in the “State of State” event, hosted by the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce and the Uptown Chamber of Commerce.

Representative Huynh and I shared state-level work happening to support small businesses, such as minimizing red tape when it comes to accessing state-level support and resources, supporting formerly incarcerated folks and small business owners through hiring tax credits, long-term affordability for small businesses, and what we hope to see in the next 5 years (read: major public transit improvements and more accessible and relevant supports for mom and pop small businesses).

I was also proud to recap the unprecedented 7th District Small Business Restoration Grant initiative that I secured $2.5 Million in state funds for, to create grants for mom and pop businesses located in the 7th District. In under six months, working with our local chambers of commerce and several community based organizations, this program delivered much needed $10,000 grants to 225 brick and mortar small businesses all over the 7th District! We even translated the application materials in more than a dozen languages to make it more accessible and equitable than prior small business assistance efforts.

Thank you to Gideon Welles for generously hosting this event, and to all of the chambers and entrepreneurs who participated. It was great to hear about what day-to-day issues are top of mind, to take so many good questions, and to discuss together how we can make sure our far northside small business corridors receive the support they need.

 

Senator Simmons Visits the Church of the Atonement to Meet with Seniors

Caption: Senator Simmons answers questions from seniors at the Church of the Atonement town hall event

I recently visited with seniors at the Church of Atonement in Edgewater and talked with them about my legislative wins, with a specific focus on affordable housing and medical debt relief. I enjoyed the questions and am happy we got to spend some time together! I deeply value the input of our seniors who provide vast insight from their lived experiences, which helps guide my legislation. Thank you to Larry, Father Charles, and the long-standing community for hosting me and my staff!

Senator Mike Simmons In the News

Community Resources

Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program Coupon Distribution


Senior farmers market coupons are here! The Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) provides qualifying older adults coupons that can be used as cash to purchase fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, honey, and herbs at participating farmers markets and roadside vendors. Each booklet has five (5) $10 coupons for a value of $50. The program starts July 10, 2024.

To qualify, individuals must be 60 years or older, live in Chicago, and have a household income of not more than 185% of the federal poverty income guidelines ($27,861 for a household of 1; $37,814 for a household of 2). Qualifying older adults must complete a paper application (provided on site) and show proof of age and address. State IDs, city IDs, medical records, and bills can be used for this proof. Proof of income is NOT required.

Each qualifying older adult may only receive ONE booklet per summer. Any person who applies for and receives more than one booklet will be disqualified from receiving coupons next year.

For an updated list of distribution locations, visit https://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/get-help/food-assistance-for-seniors/produce-coupons-for-seniors/.

 

Illinois Arts Council Announces Fiscal Year 2025 Creative Catalyst Grant Guidelines and Application

The Illinois Arts Council (IAC) is pleased to announce the release of the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Creative Catalyst Grant, a new IAC grant program to support arts-related projects, events and/or professional development.

The Creative Catalyst Grant is available to individuals, 501(c)(3) organizations, schools, and units of government. The FY25 Creative Catalyst Grant is an open deadline grant program with an award amount up to $12,000 per applicant. Applications will be accepted until the funds have been expended. Each IAC region has its own allocation so regions may close at different times. Applications must be submitted to the IAC’s Salesforce grant portal a minimum of 8 weeks prior to the project start date. For more information, visit their webpage linked here.

 

Property Tax Appeal Workshop in Rogers Park

Commissioner Samantha Steele is hosting a Property Tax Appeal Workshop in Rogers Park in partnership with Alderwoman Maria Hadden. The event is taking place at the Rogers Park Branch of Chicago Public Library (6907 N. Clark Street) on Monday, August 5th, 2024 at 5:30pm. For more information, click here.

 

Chinese Mutual Aid Association Dim Sum 5K/10K

Chinese Mutual Aid Association is hosting their Annual Dim Sum & Then Some: Uptown 5K/10K & Kids Dash on Saturday, August 3rd starting at 7:30am at 1016 W. Argyle St. If you plan to run, make sure to register at the link here. We will see you there!

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter! If you ever want to reach out to our office, please call us at 773-769-1717, and we will respond promptly. We can also be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via my website, senatormikesimmons.com.