Rock Island Line

10/13/2025

The Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness has submitted a letter to the Rock Island City Council to caution the council that the Social Services Licensure Ordinance in question tonight violates the law.

It reads in part, "Instead of relying on ineffective and cruel policies, such as anti-camping bans and strict licensing restrictions on shelters, Rock Island should alternatively convene a Task Force composed of city government, homeless service providers and other social service providers, and people with lived experience of homelessness. The Task Force could develop real solutions by identifying and responding to community needs, working in coordination to implement effective policies to address homelessness. The strong community support in Rock Island for people experiencing homelessness signals that there are many willing to engage in effectuating appropriate and safe shelter, housing, and service options. We urge the City Council to vote against the Ordinance and to work together with community partners to reach a resolution that addresses the reality of homelessness and the need for shelter, services and permanent affordable housing."

And can be found in its entirety here: https://www.rockislandline.com/post/letter-to-the-rock-island-city-council-from-the-chicago-coalition-to-end-homelessness

10/12/2025

Just received notice our premiums are going up again this year. Our family of 6 has paid over $20k/year out of pocket for healthcare in the past few years. I run a small business. My contractors depend on the ACA and some have received notice their premiums are tripling. It’s time for universal healthcare, free medical school, and medical student loan debt forgiveness. Families, city governments, police departments and small businesses cannot keep up with rising healthcare costs. It would be one thing if we had phenomenal outcomes, but we pay the most for the worst outcomes. Every American would essentially pay less if we had universal health care, small businesses could compete with big companies, entrepreneurs could leave jobs they keep for healthcare to go off and do cool things. There, I said it.

10/12/2025

The food and smoothies here are delicious.

10/12/2025

Whispering Souls and Friends of Hauberg Civic Center Foundation are partnering up again to bring you a very ghoul Halloween season event! Spirits & Bites returns on Saturday, October 25th at 6PM. We will have a taco bar and the Carriage House bar will be open for the consumable spirits with a full paranormal investigation of the mansion set to begin at 7PM and running until midnight. During the event, local psychic and medium, Ryan Sumpter, will be providing readings. You can register a time slot for a reading when purchasing tickets, but please note that ticket price is for admission only and you must pay Ryan directly for his reading.
To add some extra fun to this event, we are hosting a costume contest during the event so don your best outfit and maybe you can win a prize! Or just feel free to dress up in a costume and join in on the fun of Spirits & Bites - Ghoulest Costume! Doors open at 6PM with the taco bar and Carriage House bar beginning at the same time, investigation is set to begin at 7PM. https://events.humanitix.com/spirits-and-bites-ghoulest-costume

10/12/2025

10/11/2025

Exciting new Skip-a-Long development led by two incredible women.

SAL Community Services has broken ground on a $15.7 million campus in Rock Island that will expand early childhood education, introduce intergenerational programming, and serve as a cornerstone for community growth.

10/10/2025

Letter I wrote to Rock Island Leadership today.

Utilizing the City’s Community & Economic Development Fund to Address Homelessness

Dear Mayor Harris and Members of Council,

In reviewing Rock Island’s 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), I have identified a significant opportunity for our city to take a proactive, coordinated step toward addressing homelessness and housing instability—using resources that already exist within our budget.

1. Availability of Local Funds

As of December 31, 2024, the City’s Community & Economic Development (CED) Fund held an audited balance of $6,188,858.

Analysis of the CED Fund across the past decade (2013–2024) shows that:

Roughly 40% (~$2.4–$2.6 million) of this balance stems from federally restricted HUD revolving loan funds (CDBG/UDAG).

Approximately 60% (~$3.6–$3.8 million) are local and discretionary dollars—largely accumulated from TIF surpluses, property sales, and loan repayments.

This local portion remains fully under Council’s control and can legally be allocated to community development initiatives, including housing stabilization and homelessness prevention.

2. Legal and Programmatic Flexibility

Under both federal and state law:

CDBG and UDAG funds can support acquisition, rehabilitation, or operation of housing for low- and moderate-income or unhoused residents.

Locally generated CED funds and TIF-related revenues may be directed—by Council resolution—toward any redevelopment or neighborhood stabilization purpose, including housing for vulnerable populations.

The Illinois TIF Act (65 ILCS 5/11-74.4-3(q)) explicitly allows use of redevelopment funds for construction or rehabilitation of housing for low- and moderate-income households.

Accordingly, the City could prudently allocate $1 million—less than one-third of its unrestricted CED balance—toward a dedicated Homelessness and Housing Stabilization Fund without compromising fiscal stability. This move also requires no new taxes on Rock Island taxpayers.

3. Proposed Next Steps

To ensure thoughtful planning and collaboration, I respectfully propose that the Council:

Establish a Homelessness and Housing Stabilization Fund within the CED Fund, initially capitalized at $1 million from unrestricted balances.

Create a Homelessness Response Task Force consisting of City staff, nonprofit partners, county representatives, and lived-experience voices.

The Task Force’s charge would be to research best practices, analyze current service gaps, and recommend the most effective investments of city funds to pursue a goal of zero homelessness in Rock Island.

Engage peer cities in the Quad Cities region—Moline, East Moline, Davenport, and Bettendorf—to explore shared commitments and regional cost-sharing for homelessness services and to ask for similar levels of investment in tackling homelessness and deep poverty.

Set measurable goals for reducing unsheltered homelessness, increasing housing placements, and expanding supportive services.

This approach would align Rock Island’s fiscal capacity with its moral and civic leadership, ensuring that resources already in hand directly benefit residents most in need.

Rock Island has not engaged in serious anti-poverty work despite having the highest levels of poverty in our region. It is the responsibility of a city to care for its residents who are struggling. As you seek to limit the role of non-profits in addressing the needs of the poor and homeless, the City will need to take a stronger leadership role in addressing homelessness and suffering.

I am including this article as a reminder that it is a city’s job, not non-profits or business owners or residents, to care for those who are facing hardships that have real impacts on the entire community.

https://www.umklaw.com/homelessness-a-3-billion-win

I will also point you toward the work of Dallas, TX on driving homelessness to zero through rapid rehousing. I believe there is momentum for public/private partnerships to move people into housing. Take note of the landlord partnership program.

https://housingforwardntx.org/soha-pit/

This is a moment to move decisively: to turn fiscal capacity into visible compassion and regional collaboration. I will help in any way I can.

Sincerely,

Annika O’Melia

Rock Island Resident

Housing Forward leads data collection and evaluation for the homeless response system in Dallas and Collin Counties through specific programs. One way we share the data and evaluation for our […]

10/10/2025

Check out USAFacts. Steve Ballmer and his team do an incredible job presenting data in a clear, unbiased way—making complex national issues easier to understand.

This video covers the federal budget.

I’d love to create something similar for the City of Rock Island—a transparent, data-driven platform that helps residents see how our city is really doing and where we can grow stronger together.

Steve Ballmer, founder of USAFacts, breaks down the data behind the US budget. He discusses taxes, mandatory and discretionary spending, the federal deficit,...