Catholic Conference Action Alert

The New York State Catholic Conference has issued the following Action Alert:

Oppose Cuts to Services for the Poor and Vulnerable

Take Action Now
According to news reports, Gov. Paterson may very well put cuts to the human service portion of the budget in the emergency extender bill that the Legislature will be asked to vote on next week in the absence of a full budget. The Governor has submitted an Executive Budget that reduces funding for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) by $200 million from last year's level. He acknowledges these cuts will cause real pain to poor and vulnerable residents of our state.

The Majority Conference in both the Senate and Assembly have submitted plans that restore some of the proposed cuts, although neither does enough to protect the poor and vulnerable. To meet the need, TANF funding needs to be maintained at last year's level. The demand for services has increased during these difficult economic times. Potential cuts include funding for supportive housing for vulnerable populations, programs that help young people develop and lead productive lives, programs that support new and expectant mothers to ensure their babies get off to a good start in life, programs that service the developmentally disabled, programs that allow senior citizens to safely remain in their own residences, programs that strengthen families, and programs that provide services to people with alcohol, substance abuse and mental health problems.

The state cannot abandon its responsibility to help people who are struggling to live with dignity as they move toward self-sufficiency. Your action is needed to stop these proposed cuts.

Go HERE to send an pre-written, fully editable message to your legislators and Gov. Paterson. Just fill out the required form and press Send.