How often do you hear that? I sat through two nights of Dane County Human Services Budget Hearings – I’ve been to many similar hearing over the years and here’s a few highlights.One lowlight . . . the first night as they were having the hearings, there was a homeless man sleeping on the bench outside the meeting.
– There were over 200 people there the first night, another 150 – 175 the second night.
– It was standing room only and spilling out the door the first night.
– As usual, many tears, heart-breaking, gut-wrenching and stomach-turning stories.
– Most requested that they restore the 3% across the board cut, restore the 1% cost of living increases that were given for this year then rescinded and to pay for the living wage increases
– Several people suggested we need to go further than restoring cuts and actually fund the real need in the community
– Many people said they were willing to pay $1 per month or around $10 per year to restore the cuts and fund the living wage
– Strong message to not balance budget on backs of our most vulnerable citizens
– Strong emphasis on INVESTING, prevention and how the services save people from incarceration, suicide, institutionalization, self-medication, the continued cycle of abuse, hospitalization and homelessness.
– Many stories of how people’s self worth and self esteem is enhanced through work and support services – but also many stories of people who have employer paid health care and can support themselves instead of relying on government programs for income.
– Stories about the things people forego because they don’t have services they need, including people with disabilities who have to go to bed when their assistants are available
– Concerns about having culturally competent services
– Many agencies have had flat funding for years and years. Some estimated that since 1990, there has actually been a 39% loss of funding due to inflation
– Strong support to keep the Joining Forces for Families social worker positions – especially on the southwest side of Madison. They are the glue to the community, their relationships are important and they help leverage dollars from the faith communities.
– With the current economy, the services are more crucial than ever and the waiting lists are growing longer as the county grows
– The dollars the county gives is leveraged by volunteer work, other grants and fundraising
– The cuts and flat funding have stressed the systems to the point where there is nothing left to cut without more drastic consequences. Smaller agencies can’t absorb the cuts ass well as the larger programs
– Employees are being asked to do more work for less pay and still dedicated to doing their jobs. This work is not easy and many can’t do it.
– The sheriff was there both evenings.
– The District Attorney said that cuts to mental health services has consequences down the road and leads to more work for police and social workers. Also in support of programs that help people of color to help reduce the disparities in the criminal justice system – which should be a priority
– Many school social workers concerned about impact of program cuts on kids in the schools, especially with increases of kids who get free and reduced lunch and the impact on classrooms when kids move in and out of the classrooms
– Stoughton wants to keep their human services office, people can’t afford to come to Madison.
– Some programs that are cut, FSAT in particular are services that help the other agencies. We are all inter-dependent and a cut to some services, has a ripple affect on many other services
– While the human services budget is half the budget, it is only 1/7 of the taxes that are spent, the rest is state and federal pass through money or fees for services
– Concern about what happens to people while they are on the waiting lists and the fact that the emergency services can’t serve people in emergencies
– 12 days of juvenile detention is the same budget as 6 months of programs to help youth get a job
– Lots of mentions of the difficulty in transportation – getting to Madison is a problem. And, several people had to speak early so they could catch their bus home.
– Many requests to address root causes
That’s just a little taste of the hours of testimony. The stories and pleas were so compelling and so rich, it would be hard to recreate it, but I may try to post some of the stories and examples at a later date. They are some truly amazing stories and examples. I was especially impressed by and thankful to those who got up and talked about incredibly personal things and did it with such dignity.
