More than 40 volunteers and staff from CCC traveled to Albany yesterday to voice our strong concern about State Budget proposals that would negatively impact children and their families.  These proposals include cuts to child welfare services in New York City, Close to Home juvenile justice placement services in New York City, a failure to fund Raise the Age implementation in New York City, a delay in the expansion of children’s behavioral health services statewide, and a failure to invest in programs that would help reduce homelessness for children and families.

You can download our State Budget Recommendations and learn more about CCC’s priorities for children and families.  Key priorities include:

• Rejecting the proposal to cap and cut state reimbursement to NYC for child protective and preventive services (a cut of approximately $129 million that will grow over time).
• Rejecting the proposal to reauthorize Close to Home without any state funding (a cut of $41.4 million) despite projections that Close to Home will more than double with the implementation of Raise the Age.
• Ensuring all counties, including New York City, have the resources they need to implement Raise the Age. (NYC estimates it will cost $200 million to Raise the Age.)
• Objecting to the delay in the transition of children’s behavioral health into managed care without providing any new resources to address the severe shortage of access to services.
• Supporting the proposal to adopt a proposal like Home Stability Support, which would help prevent homelessness through increased rental supplements.

In addition to yesterday’s Advocacy Day, CCC staff, Board Members, Advocacy Council members, and Youth Action students, have been working alongside our colleagues to make our voices heard in Albany since the proposed budget was released in January.  We have testified at state budget hearings including public protection, education, and human services; participated in and helped to organize several advocacy days in Albany including child welfare, Close to Home, Raise the Age, and Summer Youth Employment; organized press conferences in Albany and New York City; organized a twitter rally; and provided information to the press.

The New York State Budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts April 1^st, is currently being negotiated so now is the time for you to weigh in.

• Send a letter to Governor Cuomo and State Legislators urging them not to cut child welfare services.
• Send a letter to Governor Cuomo and State Legislators urging them to ensure all counties, including NYC, have resources to implement Raise the Age.
• Send a letter to Governor Cuomo and State Legislators urging them to fund Close to Home.

Check out some of the press coverage in NY1, Politico, and The Daily News.

And stay tuned for more e-action letter campaigns and social media opportunities!