It's hardly business as usual at the Tri-County Opportunities Council in Rock Falls on Tuesday.
A sign on the door states that there's no money for utility assistance.
"It's going to be a tough year," said LIHEAP Director Tammy Saenz.
She's working three phones at a time.
"Some days, you have 40 new messages," she said.
But with funding cut-off since April, there's no money to help those who need it the most.
Utility assistance helps some 171,000 households in Illinois.
Recipients are low-income, elderly or disabled.
"My heart just breaks for these folks," said Terri Lawrence, who directs the community action agency in Rock Falls. "They have no other options right now. They just don't."
That explains the empty LIHEAP office at their location.
The Illinois budget crisis is forcing 10 staffers on indefinite layoffs and nearly 10,000 regional clients without help.
"It's a matter sometimes of, do I buy food?" she continued. "Do I buy my medicine? Or do I pay my utility bill?"
What's happening at the Tri-County Opportunities Council is taking place all over Illinois.
The longer it goes, the worse it gets.
"These are people who are working," Lawrence said. "But they're working in low, minimum wage jobs that don't have benefits."
While the phone keeps ringing, the push is on to save the program.
Illinois utility customers pay a surcharge to finance it, but there's a hold on both state and federal funding.
If the Illinois Senate votes to restore federal funding, the program could continue on a limited basis during the budget stalemate.
"They really need to cooperate and quit playing politics," Lawrence said.
This office serves a nine-county area that covers some 5,400 square miles.
"It's just scary what might happen," Lawrence said.
It could be a long and cold winter with unknown consequences.
"I just don't know what my grant is going to be," Saenz said.
Uncertainty, as she keeps working the phones.
"They're feeling the effects of it," she concluded.