GOP 'cuts' cost more in long run - Family resource centers save money

State House Memo


GOP 'cuts' cost more in long run
Family resource centers save money



By Rep. BARBARA FRENCH For the Monitor


February 17, 2010 - 12:00 am




I'm tired of being called an irresponsible tax-and-spender by the Republicans, especially after what happened Feb. 3.

The House passed a bill that would return additional rooms and meals tax revenue to the cities and towns against the recommendation of the Finance Committee. Republican Rep. David Hess told us that it was a longstanding promise to our constituents and that our cities and towns need the money.

It is a fair assumption that cities and towns need more money, but the real question - "Where is the money going to come from?" (in this instance, $5 million of general funding) - was never asked or answered.

At the same time, a Republican bill, HB 1664, calls for a series of cuts to the state's operating budget for fiscal year 2011. Many of the agencies affected have already been hit hard. And some of the "cuts" would end up costing the state dramatically more money in the long run.

Numerous services and programs would be affected: Concord fire and municipal services, state arts development, LCHIP, the civil legal services fund, the Small Business Development Center, the Department of Health and Human Services, juvenile justice services, the Division for Children, Youth and Families, family resource centers, foster homes, the Division of Parks and Recreation, Resource Protection and Development, adult in-home care, catastrophic health care, the developmental services wait list, brain disorder services, dropout prevention, and adequate education grants.

I am very familiar with one of the targeted programs: family resource centers. It was my legislation that first proposed establishing these centers in 1993; it took five years to pass and another five years to get some funding. There are 12 centers, each of which receives $10,000 a year. This is not a lot of money, but it means a lot to the centers as they are continually challenged in seeking stable and sustainable sources of money for the important work that they do. The centers make a significant contribution to the lives of their constituents and to communities.

Family resource centers provide child-abuse prevention and family strengthening supports and services that work to keep children safe at home with their family in their home community.

In 2006, 684 potentially "high-risk" children completed the program, 92 percent of whom were not in need of more costly services provided by the Division for Children, Youth and Families for three years. In 2007, of the 1,186 children who completed the programs, 92 percent continued to avoid DCYF services.

Services provided by DCYF include extensive home and community-based counseling and, when necessary, out-of-home placement in foster care or perhaps a more intensive residential setting.

The cost for one youth to spend one year at the Sununu Youth Services Center far exceeds the state's contribution toward supporting the statewide network of 12 family resource centers at a cost of $120,000 per year. Foster-care placement for one child for one year is $10,800, approximately the same amount that could be provided to a community-based family resource center to provide valuable services to upward of 100 families.

The cost savings from family resource centers are significant, in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. If the Republican cuts were adopted, there would be more children needing out-of-home placement - yet at the same time, another of the Republican budget proposals is to cut the funding for out-of-home placements. Where are these children supposed to go? This is a double whammy!

This would ultimately mean downshifting to our communities, which would mean increasing property taxes, since our children and their families would have to have somewhere to go for help. It seems to me to be more important to help our families and keep them together. Not only do these services benefit children at home with their families, but the lessons learned also carry on into the school setting, helping them to achieve greater success as students.

I'm happy to say that the state budget for this cycle has continued to provide partial funding for the statewide network of family resource centers. It would be extremely shortsighted and irresponsible to turn our backs on these valuable and effective services when an increasing number of children and families are challenged more than ever. Family resource centers provide documented positive outcomes for children and their families, leading to documented cost-savings for our state and local communities. I will continue to advocate for our ongoing support of these important community-based centers.

(State Rep. Barbara French is a Democrat from Henniker.)

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