Distressing News

[irishbobcat]

Ohio Cities are also slashing:

City of Cincinnati Cuts $679,800 to Human Services During Economic Crisis.
Posted by Media Release


Photo courtesy of here.

Media release from Develop Cincinnati

We are currently in a time of great economic downturn.  Need is greater than it has been in decades.  This is true nationally, and this is true in Cincinnati.  For years the City of Cincinnati has had a process for allocating funds to local Human Service organizations that has worked.  In 2008, a Human Services Commission was formed to update this process.  It was explained that the work of this group was to make the process better and more efficient.  This commission however, was not given full opportunity to be involved and productively restructure the funding system.  Nor was this committee fully included in determining what agencies were to be funded.  Therefore, contrary to the stated purpose of this commission, the newly established process has put much in jeopardy for many of Cincinnati's Human Service organizations and for the ever-increasing numbers of those in need of services.

In March, 2009 the Human Services Commission was presented with the list of Human Services the city recommended for funding, this list represented surprising cuts in funding for many organizations.  The Human Services Commission voted unanimously to not support the recommend allocations or the cuts.  On March 31, 2009 many human service organizations were shocked to discover via mail, that they were not going to be funded and any money they had been receiving would end the next day.  This was a great surprise, especially for the high performing and respected organizations that have been funded for years.  There is a general sense of confusion currently being felt by many human services organizations in Cincinnati. Our organizations feel let down.

Human Service organizations have gathered as a group named Develop Cincinnati. This is a collaboration of organizations committed to returning the percentage of the General Fund of the city budget allocated to Human Services to its former level of 1.5%.  In light of the problems with the new process, and as a result of the lack of transparency, Develop Cincinnati supports the recent motion in city council to stop the process.  We further call for the contracts between the city and funded agencies to be frozen until there is a chance to fix the flaws in the new system.  This includes the policy of funding agencies at 100% of their request and problems with the newly merged HSAC/CDAB Committees.  The Human Services Commission needs to be re-convened and properly involved, and Human Services need to be included in restructuring the process.

It is time to come back to the drawing-table and to fix the problems in this new process.  It is time that the city be transparent to Human Services.  It is time for Human Services and the city to create stronger collaboration.  Due to this new system, Human Services have lost $679,800 for the new fiscal year.  We need to find a way to retrieve these lost dollars.  It is never the time to cut funding to Human Services.  But now, in the midst of ever-increasing need, the cuts are devastating.

Develop Cincinnati will have a press conference Tuesday, April 7 at 2pm.  This will take place in front of Bethany House (1841 Fairmount Ave.).  Bethany House is an organization that provides shelter to women and children who are homeless.  The City of Cincinnati cut funding to Bethany House.  Everyone is invited; we encourage questions and plan to make sure the broader public knows of this threat to healthy living in Cincinnati.

Feel more than free to contact us with the information listed above.

Dennis Spisak
Mahoning Valley Green Party

[Towntalk]

States Slashing Social Programs for Vulnerable

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/us/12deficit.html?_r=1&hp