General Assistance Program Manager

General Assistance

Lilyia Garcia, General Assistance Program Manager Headshot by the township building mural by Langston Allston

Lilyia Garcia

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Lilyia Garcia is a licensed social worker and a two-time graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She first earned her Bachelor of Social Work with a minor in Political Science. In 2020, she earned her Master of Social Work with a concentration in Leadership and Social Change.

Lilyia started working at Cunningham Township as an intern in her master’s program, supporting Township’s disability track. After her internship was completed, she came on as a full time case manager. Within a number of years, she was promoted to program manager of general assistance benefits. Lilyia brings a wealth of social service experience, including her work at the YWCA as a graduate mentor for their Women in Leadership program, a Constituent Services Aide for State Representative Carol Ammons, an intern for the Champaign-Urbana Trauma & Resilience Initiative, and as a workshop facilitator for U of I’s Women’s Resource Center. Her background consists of supporting the community, navigating government systems, program development, and educating groups.

As Township’s program manager, Lilyia oversees the administrative arm of our general assistance program. Looking at ways to remain in compliance while increasing the way we meet our participant’s needs, Lilyia seems to effortlessly maintain this challenging balance.
Lilyia has also retained her case management of the soar and TANF tracks. SOAR is a specialized process to apply for SSI, focused mainly on those who are homeless and/or precariously housed, while TANF is a cash benefit program for families.

Bringing a thoughtful and careful eye to the township, Lilyia is interested in how government programs affect social service delivery. She is excited to work with Township staff and participants to grow these programs and help deliver quality service to community members.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

  • Licensed Social Worker
  • Field Instructor – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Social Work
  • Alpha Delta Mu: Social Work Honor Society
  • Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity – Society of Life Member

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  • Master of Social Work (with a concentration in Leadership and Social Change) – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Bachelor of Social Work (with a minor in Political Science) – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Trauma and Resiliency Initiative’s Trauma 101 training
  • Social Security Insurance/Social Security Disability Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) adult course through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA)
  • RACES (Rape Advocacy, Counseling, & Education Services) 40-hour training
  • Opiate Overdose Response Training – Champaign-Urbana Public Health District
  • Trauma-informed care training: General, for the Homeless, for Women
  • General Assistance Institute Training
  • Managing Changing the World