Despite heavy news coverage of cuts to school budgets, the state budget crisis is being felt in other areas as well, including social services.
In Emporia, addiction treatment services at Corner House, Inc. are being threatened by a winnowing of funds allocated through the Social and Rehabilitation Services budget. Members of the Corner House professional association have been providing testimony to the state Legislature to outline just how the service is being affected by budget cuts, and how those cuts translate to human terms.
“It’s one of those unsung areas, when there are such deep cuts in education and other areas,” said Sara Hansen, Corner House executive director.
In the last year, the budget for services at Corner House has been trimmed by almost $100,000, an impact that threatens to limit addiction treatment services for those who need help.
“It doesn’t sound like much when there’s so many other big, looming cuts,” Hansen said, “but for a small facility like ours, $100,000 is a huge loss. Not just in the loss of a programmatic budget, but that translates to people.”
Corner House treats an average of 350 people each year, Hansen said, and budget cuts threaten the organization’s ability to take those people in.
“When you take $100,000 of service out of the mix, that equates to a loss of service to individuals,” she said.
One option for dealing with the budget cuts is the possibility of paring down the number of people it takes in, Hansen said. So when a person in need of treatment tries to get in, that person might be put on a wait list.
“What we know about the using population is that when they reach out for services, the longer they wait, the lower their engagement gets,” Hansen said. “So they go on the wait list, and typically they disappear because we’ve lost that moment of opportunity to provide services.”
And things don’t look as if they’re bound to get better soon. For the 2011 budget, there is talk in the Legislature of cuts yet to come, possibly up to $30 million from the SRS budget. There also is talk of cuts to the SB 123 program, which offers an opportunity for treatment instead of incarceration for first-time felony drug charges.
“If all of those devastating cuts occur, we’ve even gone so far as talking about having to put a halt on inpatient services until the economy turns around,” Hansen said. “That is a terrible thing for us to have to talk about, but it’s a reality right now.”
There are plans to continue giving testimony as the Legislature juggles its options, Hansen said. One item on the table is the recently passed hike in tobacco and liquor taxes to provide additional revenue for mental health and developmental disability services.
“We’ve gone on the record to say that we would support those increases in liquor and tobacco tax allocations just because we know that revenue has to be produced somewhere,” she said.
Across the state, Hansen said 10 percent of the population is in need of some kind of treatment, or about 150,000 people. The trouble is their limited access to treatment services. The budget for providing those services was cut by $2 million in 2009, and there is a possibility of a further cut of $275,000 this year.
“So again, treatment in comparison to the larger budget is not very big, but there are plenty of lives that are impacted by this,” Hansen said.
hottopics (anonymous) says...
I think they are under staffed and need more help to make sure that no child falls through the cracks. That is what is important just as education for all kids. Our government pays out absurd amounts to other countries but let's our own kids fall short. NOW that should be a crime.
March 16, 2010 at 1:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
les_herschler (anonymous) says...
Don't forget farm subsidies, FarmRaised...
March 16, 2010 at 2:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
The excise tax burden on Kansas citizens who drink beer is already very high. Total taxes paid by Kansans on alcohol beverages were more than $111 million in 2009, compared to only $20 million in 1978 after the last gallonage tax increase. According to econometric firm John Dunham and Associates, taxes already make up 49% of the price that consumers pay for a beer in Kansas. As stated in the study concerning beer purchases in Kansas, “In other words, if a consumer pays $2.00 for a beer in a restaurant, nearly $.98 of that is being paid directly to the government.”
This increase would only worsen the problem of cross-border shopping. As an example, one-third of residents of Kansas live in a county bordering Missouri. If this bill passes, the tax on beer will be 6 TIMES THE RATE IN MISSOURI. Further, the sales tax rate in liquor stores for beer, wine and liquor will be 4 TIMES THE RATE IN MISSOURI (16% VS. 4.225%). This would be devastating for those retailers near the border.
The above was from an article from Americans for Prosperity .org
March 16, 2010 at 3:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
giggles (anonymous) says...
Addiction is a terrible thing, and in a perfect world we would be able to treat everyone. However, we are barely able to take care of ourselves, so if this program has to take some cuts, then I say so be it.
Their addiction started with bad decisions, and as much as we would like to turn that around, it doesn't seem financially possible right now. We cannot pay for their bad decisions.
March 16, 2010 at 4:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
Social services should have been the first place looked at when budget cuts began IMO, schools and public works last.
March 17, 2010 at 3:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
You are going to pay for their bad decisions one way or another. Either through lower productivity and higher crime rates right down to and including housing them in prisons and supporting their dependent children while they are there. Better to pay a little now rather than a lot later.
March 19, 2010 at 8:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Is it time for our local churches to step up and help all these lost souls?
Pretty new house that corner house has, less than 1 year old? How much to build? I hope it's paid off, or it could end up in foreclosure like so many others in Emporia.
Now a cut in their budget. Hummmm, welcome to the real world.
Sitting here in my run down home and worring about the economy and my income, I question your thought biscuit on "better to pay a little now rather than a lot later."
Seems we have gotten both lately.
OH WELL?
March 19, 2010 at 8:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
les_herschler (anonymous) says...
In this economy, Farmraised, there are a lot of hard-working people who need a boost from government...SOME farmers are among them.
March 19, 2010 at 9:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
I agree with biscuit on the philosophy that it is better to help addicts now rather than later when the consequences lead to worse events or even incarceration at bigger expenses.
You Steve are gravely misinformed. Comments like yours serve to destroy the good works going on at The Corner House.
NO STATE FUNDS WERE USED TO BUILD THE CORNER HOUSE. The Corner House was built through gifts from the good-hearted people of Emporia who believe that the work of the Corner House is for the benefit of our community.
They have pledges to the year 2015, and with a 99% collection rate, I'm quite sure that house will get paid for. Being a bar owner, perhaps next time they have a drive you will contribute a few bucks.
Drug and alcohol addiction is a community problem. While we may agree that the choice was that of the addict to begin with, the horrendous results to family and community have been hurting all of us. Better to teach a man to feed himself rather than run him off with a stick only to see him starve or steal his bread.
March 19, 2010 at 9:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Calm down and please re-read my above post. Nowhere did I say the corner house was built with state funds, I know better, I remember the fund drive quite clearly. I hope the collections on those pledges are received and the house is paid off, just remember a pledge is only good when the check clears.
As far as me contributing to a future fund raiser, it probably won't happen. You see in 2010 my customers and I "donated" approximately $35,000.00 to the city to use for these social programs, and I'm pretty sure the corner house got some of it. And as my sales are down,(due to the economy or maybe the smoking ban), the 1st thing I cut is my charitable giving. It's just the greedy part of me coming out I guess.
March 19, 2010 at 11:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Yes, akamai, but you'll have to admit, even the morphed agency is helping somebody in the community become other than a boil on the butt of society. If the doors get shut, the problems get bigger.
Low income offenders, unfortunately, live off the rest of us while higher income addicts have professional shrinks, fancy houses and families to hide them. The problem is still addiction and it still eventually takes its toll on the community itself.
March 19, 2010 at 1:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
True story. There was this guy that had a dog and then he met another guy with a dog then there was two guys with dogs and then one of the guys died and then there was a guy with a dog and a dog without a guy. The strange thing is that the guy with the dog likes hamburgers. I'm serious.
March 19, 2010 at 2:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
The burgers for guys with dogs and guys for dogs without guys foundation of greater east central Cansus.
March 19, 2010 at 3:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOXs_R...
March 19, 2010 at 4:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )