In these uncertain economic times, important questions arise:

• How are Illinois families faring?
• What income does it truly take to make ends meet throughout Illinois?
• What are the costs of basic goods in my community?
• If I take this new job, will I be able to support my family?

This website from the Social IMPACT Research Center, which uses the Self-Sufficiency Standard as its basis, can be used as a resource—an information portal—to help you answer these questions. The 2009 Illinois Self-Sufficiency Standard is a newly updated tool that helps us better understand the cost of living in each Illinois county and for a variety of different family types—from single adults all the way up to two adults with children of different ages and dependent adults in the household. It illustrates how much income families need to make ends meet, on their own with no public or private assistance.

Among the resources you’ll find on this site:

• A web-based calculator that will help you budget and plan for the true cost of living in your community.
• A report on Illinois’ Self-Sufficiency Standard that will help you understand how Illinois families overall are faring on measures of economic well-being.
• A series of fact sheets that highlight costs and the Self-Sufficiency Standard in over 100 areas of the state.
• Income supports information and links to applications for public benefits like Food Stamps and child care assistance.

In the future, there will also be resources on this site related to:

• Information on jobs that pay a Self-Sufficiency wage.
• Briefs highlighting policies that can help Illinois families achieve self-sufficiency.
• Toolkits for advocates looking to use the Self-Sufficiency Standard in their work.

The Social IMPACT Research Center's Illinois Self-Sufficiency Project is made possible through the generous support of the Grand Victoria Foundation and the Chicago Foundation for Women.