Protect the Community Mental Health Safety Net

It's time to work together again!

Mental Health Advocacy Groups from across New York State
are holding a press conference at
11 o’clock on June 8, 2010
in Room 130 of the Legislative Office Building.

June 8, 2010 Press Release

What if the budget does not pass soon! Here are some examples from the field:

“We have 3 Advantage After School Programs funded by OCFS that would not be funded. The School Based Prevention Program we operate with DSS and reinvestment funding would lose funding. We have about 65 supported housing beds that would not receive funds. We have 2 consumer initiatives that would lose funding. The deficit portion of PROS, which we rely on would be lost. Our 2 VESID contracts would lose funding. The Supported Education Program at the local community college would lose funding.”

“We are still reeling from the $70,000 cut we received as a result of our County going PROS which caused us to have to convert our Friendship Club into a Drop In Center. We are managing, but not without hardships such as cutting staff, not replacing staff that leave, reducing client services and decreasing program hours. We are also being forced to move to a smaller location that does not offer some of the comforts we have grown accustomed to such as space, garbage pickup, snow removal, maintenance staff, and ample parking.

If this cut is compounded with a hold up in receiving funds, we may be forced to stop providing some of our services all together. This agency is known for its frugalness and resourcefulness in securing donations, receiving community support and operating on a shoestring budget. It will be next to impossible to continue our current operations if funds don’t flow and my fear is that, even if programs cease to exist for a short period, our momentum with the people we serve, and the staff that we currently have will be seriously impacted. It will take a lot of work to get back up to speed.

We are scraping the bottom of the barrel now, if the barrel is taken away, this county may very well loose a valuable community resource that is saving and changing the lives of the youth, adults and families we serve and our community.”

“We would essentially have to close their doors based on the contracts and grants from OMH and OCFS. We would unemploy 80 staff; be unable to pay our mortgage; and then be hit with the cost of unemployment benefits to no fault of our own!”