Letters to the Editor for August 26

Here are today’s Letters to the Editors…

Submitted by Ifeoma U. Aduba, Chief Executive Officer of A Woman’s Place:

The 2015 state budget crisis will soon have a greater debilitating effect on human services providers and domestic violence centers than the 2009 impasse.

According to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, responses from the 60 domestic violence programs that serve all 67 counties in our state indicate the current budget situation is worse than anticipated. Lines of credit and reserve contingency funding will run out by the end of September for many service providers. The most vulnerable rural and under-funded centers will quickly be unable to serve the commonwealth’s at risk citizens.

After financial resources are exhausted, providers will be forced to reduce staff size. When employees are laid off, state unemployment claims increase. Furloughed employees will also make fewer purchases from local stores which especially harms small business owners. The negative consequences of lost economic activity only snowballs with time.

We urge the General Assembly and Governor Wolf to act swiftly to pass a state budget that invests in all human services for the long term, including survivors of domestic violence. What does this mean in Bucks County? As a result of this impasse, over $70,000 per month is being held up. These funds make possible first response services, support in obtaining protection from abuse orders, emergency shelter, counseling, hotlines, and the ability to relocate survivors at the highest risk of fatality.

At A Woman’s Place, these funds also support forward-thinking community education and outreach programs which are aimed at creating long-term cultural change. We envision a society where all individuals are safe in their relationships and can flourish.

Please, contact your elected officials and ask them to prioritize a state budget that invests in human services. It’s what our communities and Pennsylvania need.

Submit Your Letter to the Editor

Do you have something you want to say about a town issue? Want to praise your community members for something they did? You can do that by writing a Letter to the Editor.

LevittownNow.com accepts Letters to the Editor on issues that are important to local residents.

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• Please include your first and last name, town and email address (so we can contact you back or verify your identity.) We will only publish your name and town.
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• The choice of letters for publication is at the discretion of LevittownNow.com editors.

To submit your Letter to the Editor, submit it to tom@levittownnow.com with the subject “Letter to the Editor.”