 Percy Dace, 61, who counsels "troubled youth" in the East St. Louis
area, said he is concerned that Quinn's proposal to eliminate
funding for community youth services programs under the Department
of Human Services will put his Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House
on the chopping block.Dace, 61, says in his past he was a
"challenging young man" who got into fights and barely made it out
of high school.
"From my personal perspective, what I have achieved in life is
because I was able to get assistance (from someone) who had level of
expertise to guide me and even mentor me to be a productive member
of society," Dace said.
The Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House works with more than
650 families in East St. Louis, providing day care and outreach
services to teens and homeless youth.
Quinn called for "budget restraint" in his proposed budget
address to lawmakers on Wednesday by "finding new ways to reduce
unnecessary state spending." Quinn proposed cutting an annual $550
million to nursing homes and hospitals by reducing Medicaid
reimbursement rates for the poor.
The proposal is for fiscal 2012, which begins July 1 and ends
June 30, 2012. Lawmakers have until May to determine how much of the
budget cuts become reality.
"We need to keep investing in essential, necessary services while
cutting programs that don't work," Quinn said in his speech.
The Department of Healthcare and Family Services is the largest
program funded by the state, making up about 30 percent of the
state's total budget. The Department of Human Services makes up
about 17 percent of the state's total budget. Quinn eliminated
funding for programs like the Circuit Breaker for low-income older
adults, along with addiction prevention and treatment services.
The Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association
represents 50 treatment providers for recovery and addiction
prevention services. The association's chief executive officer, Eric
Foster, said cutting addiction and recovery support services will
have a ripple effect through the state.
"It is prevention system that is being affected as well," Foster
said. "Youth that receive services that help prevent the use of
alcohol and drugs are being eliminated. And at this point, based on
the complete elimination of dollars for state prevention services,
we are looking at 32,000 youth that may not receive prevention
services, which increases the risk that use will occur."
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Frank Anselmo, chief executive of Community Behavioral Healthcare
Association of Illinois, said the cuts are "dramatic." The
association represents about 70 nonprofit substance abuse treatment
providers across the state. He said the safety net for people
seeking treatment will be gone.
"We know the state is in difficult financial situation," Anselmo
said. "But of course, we're concerned about it because these are the
people who don't have voices. These are not folks who make political
contributions. They are just getting by on the road to recovery."
Social service agencies are still reeling from the effects of
previous budget cuts, said Gina Guillemette, director of policy and
advocacy for the nonprofit Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and
Human Rights.
"This is not an area where you can save money," Guillemette said.
"When people can't live in the community independently -- people
with disabilities, seniors, people with mental illnesses -- as a
result they'll end up in institutions, nursing homes, people go to
emergency rooms and prisons. There is much greater cost to the
state, so it doesn't represent cost savings."
However, the governor's office said in an e-mail statement that
Quinn has taken strong action to stabilize the state's budget.
"We are still confronting a difficult fiscal situation that
requires difficult cuts in every area of state government," the
governor said in the statement. "These cuts are tough and will
affect every community in Illinois but are necessary to ensure a
strong future for our state and the essential services it provides.
The difficult decisions we make today will help prevent even deeper
cuts in the future."
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By DIANE S.W. LEE]
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