We Need the Dream

The Situation in Peoria

Gangs generate the 4th largest employer income in Peoria. Crime in Peoria is almost twice the US Average. Our murder rate tripled last year and it's not slowing down. Expulsion rates in Peoria County are 60% higher than statewide averages. Gangs provide a sense of family for young children. It is considered an honor when a young girl becomes a mistress of a gang. 4 out of 10 teen girls become pregnant before age 20. 90% of homeless families are led by women. Addictions and/or abuse isn’t the #1 cause of homelessness. Unemployment is. Over 1/3 of families are considered to be at risk. Many families are one paycheck away from being homeless. 40% of the homeless are mentally ill. The budget for the Illinois Dept. of Corrections has grown more than 15-fold in the last 25 years. Costs are rising to build and operate new prisons, draining funds better used for education, human services and other priorities. Many of our city's homeless live in the Dream Center Peoria building in dilapidated apartments.

Peoria Seems to be Booming

Consider the soon-to-launch $55-million civic center expansion; the upcoming $67-million riverfront museum; Peoria NEXT’s new $12-million business incubator; or even the $460-million upgrade to I-74. We have more than 5,000 new residents, $340 million in new building permits, and more than $1 billion in research. But, here are a few facts you probably don’t know: Our child poverty rate is the highest in Illinois—by a 50% margin! MANY of our city’s homeless live in the dilapidated former YMCA building—one of our most visible downtown locations. Our murder rate tripled last year. And it’s not slowing down.

Dream Center Peoria is a realistic, nationally proven method that addresses these issues—and at a fraction of the dollars listed above.