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RHD, clients, partners rally in Harrisburg to advocate for vulnerable populations at risk in PA budget crunch
6/14/2010 8:50:26 AM
A coalition of groups will gather in Harrisburg for a rally at the State Capitol on Tuesday, June 15 at 11 a.m. to call on state policymakers to take a balanced approach to the state budget crisis and protect critical services for our most vulnerable citizens.
The recession has increased demand for health care, unemployment, food stamps and many other state-funded services. Without additional revenue, Pennsylvania will have no choice but to make deep service cuts that will directly impact the lives of people across Pennsylvania.
Resources for Human Development, which is coordinating the June 15 rally, will bring several of its clients - people battling issues from mental illness to homelessness - to the rally to put a face to the services that are in jeopardy. Afterward, they'll make legislative visits to lawmakers' offices.
Leading providers and support organizations will join the rally to urge lawmakers to take a balanced approach to the budget in times when needed services are most at risk of devastating cuts. Participants include:
• Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
• Southeast Pennsylvania Coalition for Essential Services
• Pennsylvania Association of Resources (PAR)
• Community Legal Services (CLS)
• Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania
• Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Coalition
“Homelessness effects people with and without chronic disabilities such as behavioral and health related issues,’’ said Genny O’Donnell, director of Coordinated Homeless Outreach Center in Montgomery County. “More and more it is affecting people with long work histories and long careers at one place of employment. In Montgomery County we are seeing this play out in the lives of real estate agents, computer programmers, and insurance estimators, to name a few, who never expected, let alone planned for, the tough times we are now facing.”
Last year’s budget cuts were devastating for the state’s nonprofits and the people they serve, weakening investment in citizens and vital services. Around the state, nonprofits were forced to cut critical services, lay off employees and incur significant financial burdens while waiting for the budget resolution.
Reducing support for the essential services Pennsylvanians rely on only costs the state more in the long run. The people who require those services do not disappear – they show up in emergency rooms, in shelters unable to accommodate them, and in an already overburdened judicial system. Taxpayers will still pay to provide for people in need. But in most cases, they’ll do it poorly and pay more for it.
Investing in these services provides children, working families and people with disabilities the support they need – and saves jobs for those people who support them. Taking a balanced approach to Pennsylvania’s budget while protecting our most vulnerable citizens is the right thing to do for our state, and will help set us all on a sound course for the future.
