News Flash

The Snow Emergency, including odd/even parking, is now canceled. 

The Snow Emergency, including odd/even parking, is now canceled. 

Location: Loves Park City Hall/Community Room, 100 Heart Blvd, Loves ParkDates: Wednesday, Nov. 19Sign-ups begin: 8:45 a.m.Appointments begin: 9 a.m.Location: Brooke Road United Methodist Church Community Center, 1404 Brooke Rd, RockfordDates: Thursday, Nov. 20Sign-ups begin: 8:45 a.m.Appointments begin: 9 a.m.Please remember to bring the following to your appointment:• A government or school-issued ID for every household member over 18• Social Security cards for all household members (birth certificates for children under 6 months)• Proof of 30-day gross income for everyone 18 and older (wages, benefits, unemployment, cash wages, etc.)• Proof of income for children receiving child support or Social Security• The front and back of your current utility bills, or a copy of your lease if utilities are included in rent• Email address for application status updates and other necessary follow-upThe City of Rockford Health & Human Services team continues to see extremely high demand for LIHEAP assistance. In the first month alone, staff processed more than 2,200 applications and received over 15,000 calls—more than double September’s volume.To ensure we can assist as many households as possible and continue processing existing applications, each outreach event will 50 appointment slots. Once those slots are filled, sign-ups will close for the day. Applicants must have all required documents to secure an appointment.We appreciate your patience and kindness toward staff and fellow residents. Aggressive or disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated.LIHEAP is a program of the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and administered locally by the City of Rockford Health & Human Services Department.

For many area households, energy costs place a severe and continuing stress on a family’s budget. In some instances, the household is forced to make painful decisions regarding which bills to pay and which necessities to survive without.  The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is designed to help eligible low income households pay for energy service. With LIHEAP, a benefit is paid directly to the utility companies on behalf of eligible households, or directly to renters if the utility costs are included in their rent. For the time being, our Health and Human Services team will be providing appointments at various community sites to help individuals apply for LIHEAP.  To help the process run more smoothly and make the best use of everyone’s time, we’re making a few small changes to how our LIHEAP outreach sessions will work. Here are details for this week:Location: Northwest Community CenterDates: Wednesday, November 5 and Thursday, November 6Sign-ups begin: 8:45 a.m.Appointments begin: 9 a.m.We will take 50 appointments each day. Once all 50 slots are filled, sign-ups will close for the day. Everyone who receives an appointment will be given an approximate wait time, those with the longest waits, will be allowed to leave and return for their appointment, so you don’t need to wait in line for hours.We understand that times are stressful and tensions may be high, but we ask that everyone treat staff and fellow residents with patience and respect. Our team is working hard to serve an overwhelming number of households as effectively and efficiently as possible. Any threatening, aggressive or disrespectful language or actions will not be tolerated, and individuals who engage in such behavior will be asked to leave.Our goal is to make sure every person we meet with will have their full and complete LIHEAP application submitted and approved as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work to make this process smoother and more efficient for everyone! However, the process is subject to change without notice.We may modify this process over the next few weeks—including designating certain outreach dates only for disconnected applicants. Please check back for updates. LIHEAP is a program of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Office of Energy Assistance funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and administered locally by the City of Rockford Health and Human Services Department, a Community Action Agency.

The City of Rockford, in partnership with Goodwill of Northern Illinois and Rock Valley College, is hosting a Diaper Drive to benefit the Baby Bank. This local non-profit provides products to families in need, aiming to ensure no child goes without basic supplies for a clean, happy, healthy childhood. Since 2018, the Baby Bank has distributed over 900,000 diapers to Northern Illinois families!

Any size diapers or pull-ups can be dropped off at the following locations:

• City Hall, 425 E. State St.
• Rockford Police District 1, 1045 W. State Street
• Rockford Police District 2, 1410 Broadway
• Rockford Police District 3, 557 S. New Towne Drive
• Rockford Fire Headquarters, 204 South 1st Street
• Rock Valley College (2 locations), Stenstrom Student Center and Educational Resource Center

The drive will run from October 1 through October 15.

To donate directly to the Baby Bank, visit www.gobabybank.org.

The City of Rockford and the Rockford Mass Transit District announced that beginning February 1, 2025, any individual in the community enrolled in a local post-secondary education program or in a local adult General Educational Development (GED)/High School Equivalency (HSE) program will now be able to ride RMTD’s fixed route service for free.Individuals who have a valid student photo I.D. for the spring 2025 semester from any of the following local institutions: Rock Valley College (RVC), Rockford Career College (RCC), Rockford University, NIU Rockford, Judson, Rasmussen, U of I College of Medicine, OSF Nursing - can access the free ride program by simply showing their valid student photo I.D. when boarding a RMTD bus. For those individuals currently enrolled in adult GED/HSE programs offered by RVC, Rockford Public Schools (RPS) & Goodwill, as well as the Rockford Public Library Adult Online High School, RMTD will be coordinating with those providers to distribute free passes to their program participants.  The new free ride programs are being implemented in an effort to help reduce barriers to accessing educational and training opportunities in the community. In 2022, we implement Veteran and K-12 student free ride programs on the fixed route system.