110 ILCS 997/5

The purpose of the Human Services Professional Loan Repayment Program is to recruit and retain qualified human service professionals to work for community-based human services providers. Due to numerous factors, human services agencies have a high turnover rate and struggle to maintain consistent staffing levels. Many of these positions require degrees in human services-related fields of study. In addition, most human services positions require a graduate degree or postsecondary degree or certification. The higher education requirements for the human services workforce often means that many students graduate with a high level of debt for a job that pays slightly above minimum wage with a great deal of stress and burnout.