Dear neighbor,

I hope that you, your family, and your friends are having a happy, healthy, and peaceful holiday season! As we continue to shop throughout December, remember to do your holiday shopping at small businesses and be kind to yourself and our neighbors. I wanted to share some exciting updates from the district and resources to support you in these times. Keep reading for more information.

Pediatric Vaccine Clinic Rescheduled!

On January 7 at the Broadway Armory at 3 pm, my office, State Rep Kelly Cassidy, and Alderman Harry Osterman are hosting a pediatric COVID-19 vaccine event with Genoa Healthcare. All children ages 5-11 can get a vaccine. I’m excited to wrap up #ChildrenCarryOn with a clinic in the district!

Remote Holiday hours

My office at 5533 N Broadway will be closed from Dec. 20 through Jan. 2.  If you need to reach us for immediate assistance, please feel free to email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call our office line at 773-769-1717. We wish you the best and will see you in person again in 2022.

Sen. Simmons' Community Updates:

A new food co-op in Rogers Park!

A food co-op is coming to the Rogers Park/West Ridge/Evanston area. Helping to make this dream a reality is something that many of us have been waiting for. Wild Onion Market is a community-owned, democratically run, full-service grocery store that will offer a values-based alternative to the traditional grocery store model — a place to shop for locally farmed and produced food. Wild Onion Market will keep dollars in our community, employ locally, and prioritize sustainability in food production and packaging. Learn more about the project, subscribe to email updates, and become an owner at wildonionmarket.com.

A new water billing assistance program, the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program, provides $42 million in shut-off avoidance for residents unable to pay their water and sewer bills. The new water billing assistance program builds on $327 million in emergency assistance launched earlier this year for low-income families facing difficulty with paying their utility bill and other essential household bills. Residents in need of financial support can visit www.helpillinoisfamilies.com for more information on how to apply for water and other assistance this season.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is available. The utilities covered by the plan include heat, gas, and electric. You may call (877) 411-9276 to learn where you can apply.

NOW OPEN! The Illinois Rental Payment Program is open to assist renters & landlords impacted by COVID-19. Apply at illinoishousinghelp.org. If you applied in the past and didn’t receive the maximum of $25,000, you can still reapply. Please call my office with any questions. We are here for you. Check out my post HERE.

Sen. Simmons in the news

• Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, November 27, 2021 - Full Show

Sen. Simmons Out in the District

I would like to thank our panelists and all those who came to our virtual transportation town hall this past Wednesday, including Olatunji Oboi Reed, President and CEO of Equiticity, Madison Lisle from Warehouse Workers for Justice, Brian Urbaszewski from the Respiratory Health Association, Daniel Robles from the Illinois Environmental Council, Susan Mudd from the Environmental Law and Policy Center, and Kyle Whitehead from the Active Transportation Alliance. We had a thorough discussion on equity in future transportation policy and the electrification of public transit.

Did you miss the town hall? You can watch the full Facebook live video at https://fb.watch/9PwQQLSY_A/

I want you all to meet one of the future State Senators of Illinois, Oliver. Oliver and his mom live in Uptown. I was excited to welcome him to our district office. Oliver talked to me about the issues that are most important to him, such as transportation, equality, and public safety. I will be regularly hosting youth in the office to learn more about the state and incorporate their thoughts into our legislative work and community projects!

My staff attended the 14th annual Shop Jarvis Square market. We loved finding some of the best handmade gifts in Chicago right here in Rogers Park.

Friday morning we celebrated students and parents receiving their vaccines and boosters at Gale, Jordan and McCutcheon elementary schools. Everyone there was a superhero coming out bravely after receiving their vaccines, especially the healthcare workers helping administer them. I'm so proud of everyone that came out on Friday! I also want to give a special thank you to the artist of the stickers that we have been giving out to students, Georgie. Thank you for your work and for cheering on other kids as they got their vaccines! #ChildrenCarryOn

Congratulations to the students who received their second vaccine at Gale and Jordan! Way to go superheroes!

 Sen. Simmons Supports Shopping Local this Holiday Season

NorthCenter: Shop local and support small vendors! I picked up some last-minute gifts from the NorthCenter Holly Jolly Holiday Market! You can find the best gifts for your loved ones at our local retailers in District.

Lincoln Square: Last weekend, I visited the Weinhnachtsmarkt at the DANK HAUS and picked up some homemade Lincoln Square candles and cookies from Hillary's Cookies!

Edgewater: I visited the Holiday POP-UP Market organized by the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce and visited several of the small vendors such as Indelible Bliss Candle & Soap Co. They have some of the best products to pamper your friends and families.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 773-769-1717 if we can help you with anything.

Sincerely,

Mike Simmons

State Senator | 7^th District

Dear neighbor,

I wanted to let you know about the upcoming round of rental assistance from the Illinois Housing Development Authority that opened today! Please keep reading for additional details and for additional resources and events to benefit you and your family.

Consistent with Illinois’ goal to reduce evictions, the Illinois Housing Development Authority opened a new round of rental assistance Monday, Dec.6. If you applied for rental assistance in previous cycles, you are still eligible to apply!

Pre-Eligibility Check 

• You are either a renter in Illinois or a landlord with a tenant who lives in Illinois.
• Your household (or your tenant’s household) experienced financial hardship during or due, directly or indirectly, to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Your household (or your tenants’ household) is behind on rent and/or is at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
• Your (or your tenant’s) household income is at or below the limit for your county.

Click here to find the income limits for your county.

For future Illinois Rental Payment Program and mortgage assistance program information and updates, please visit illinoishousinghelp.org.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Citizens Utility Board are reminding residents to apply for $200 million remaining in utility assistance under Gov. JB Pritzker’s Help Illinois Families initiative – an expansion of the Low-Income Household Energy Assistance Program under the American Rescue Plan. 

Upcoming Events

Reminder to check out my Clean Transportation town hall on Wednesday Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. REGISTER HERE. We will be having a discussion centering equity in future transportation policy. Hope to see you there!

Lakeview residents, I am joining County Assessor Fritz Kaegi and other North Side elected officials for a virtual workshop on property tax appeals on Thursday, Dec. 9 at 6:00 p.m. RSVP HERE.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 773-769-1717 if we can help you with anything.

Sincerely,

State Senator | 7^th District

Dear neighbor,

I wanted to reach out to you to let you know about two important upcoming events that my staff and I will be hosting to benefit you and your family. Please keep reading for additional details!
 

I am hosting a planned pediatric vaccine event with Hayt Elementary on Dec. 7! Join us from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. for COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5-11. Walk-ins are welcome!

I am hosting a transportation town hall with the Illinois Environmental Council, Equicity, Warehouse Workers for Justice, the Respiratory Health Association, the Environmental Law and Policy Council and the Active Transportation Alliance that will be a conversation centering equity in future transportation policy and the electrification of public transit! Join us on Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. for a free, informational town hall alongside community advocates and partners. To register, click http://bit.ly/CleanTransportation.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 773-769-1717 if we can help you with anything.

Sincerely,

Mike Simmons
State Senator | 7^th District