URGENT!!
To: IARF Executive Directors
From: Janet Stover
Date: February 28, 2002
As was discussed at yesterday’s Membership meeting, it is imperative that you, the staff of your agency, the families of the persons you serve, and your Board of Directors contact your legislators and explain the impact of these proposed cuts on the persons you serve – this needs to be a grassroots effort.
Today you should receive a letter from DHS outlining how the proposed cuts will impact your agency – you should receive a dollar figure from DHS. The Association is requesting that you write your legislators a letter explaining the “local” impact of the proposed cuts AND attach the letter from DHS with the specific dollar figure of the cuts.
In recent conversations with members of the General Assembly it has become apparent that they have not been informed of the details of the cuts – we believe they need to be informed of those details and how your local agency and the people you serve will be impacted.
Here is a sample letter. Please personalize your letter to your local community/agency, as form letters do not have the same impact as personalized letters. Thank you for all of your hard work – this is going to be a critical legislative session for your agency and the people you serve.
Helpful hints for communicating with your legislator(s)
1) The letter should describe how the proposed cuts will impact your local agency and the persons you provide services to – provide examples of how the cuts will impact programs, i.e. four persons with mental illness will be homeless on July 1st as a result of these cuts; we will be forced to close our early intervention program that serves 50 infants and toddlers with disabilities; funding for our agency’s summer camp will be totally eliminated; out-patient mental health services will be cut by 50 percent. Provide accurate information.
2) The letter should focus on the people you serve – these proposed cuts are of CRISIS proportion and human lives will be negatively impacted. Access to services will be diminished if entire agencies and/or programs close – there are no other providers in many parts of the state – people with disabilities will be forced to go without services.
3) The Governor’s proposed budget cuts are shortsighted. The Governor is downsizing state institutions and at the same time cutting the “safety net” - the community system of care that the state depends on. Without these community-based services persons with disabilities will be forced backinto state institutions. Agencies located in areas where the Governor has proposed downsizing state institutions, i.e. Zellar, Singer, should give local examples.
4) The Association needs you to send these letters as soon as possible – as was stated earlier we do not believe the General Assembly has been fully informed of these proposed cuts to human services. We do not have a lot of time, as our sources tells us the General Assembly will adjourn in May.
5) Please fax or email the Association a copy of the letter you have sent to your legislator(s). Additionally, please fax us your DHS OMH/ODD rate sheet so that we can put together the total (cumulative) effect of these cuts – this is very important, as DHS has said the cuts total $38 million for DD and $20 million for OMH – we believe the total is more than $58 million.
6) Please send a copy of your letter to your local media for possible media coverage.