Nonprofits Decry Cuts In Tight Budget

Suffolk County nonprofits and agencies turned up at the Suffolk County Legislature Wednesday to plea for their 2011 funding to be increased, fearful of how county's finalized 2011 operating budget may impair their ability to meet community needs.

"It wasn't until a week and a half ago I received word that our budget would be cut by $130,000," said Anita Fleishman, executive director of the Pederson Krag Center that offers mental health services and addiction treatment at six sites, including Smithtown. "That means three full-time therapist and the 200 patients they would be seeing over the course of a year."

Peggy Boyd, vice president of advocacy for the Family Service League, which offers aid to the families and individuals in need of food, vocational training, counseling and more throughout Long Island, said there is a crucial need to restore programs eliminated in 2010, and continue throughout 2011.

Minerva Perez, Director of The Retreat, a domestic violence shelter based in East Hampton, worried about proposed funding of her organization at 2010 levels given increase in domestic abuse rates during the economic recession.

"Family violence has reached the level of a public health crisis. Our current funding will not allow us to meet the heightened demand for services," Perez said.

Lifeline Mediation Center's Executive Director Joel Lecci also spoke about how further cuts in funding would affect his organization's ability to continue offering PAL programs to get children off the streets, active in their community.

The nonprofits' pleas did not fall on deaf ears. Suffolk County Legislature voted to restore $2.1 million to health care centers and $200,000 to guarantee adequate influenza vaccines.

Legislators also added $630,000 to fund community-based service agencies they felt were underfunded in the recommended 2011 budget. Another $2 million was added for contracted agencies addressing needs of underserved populations such as health services, cancer prevent, domestic violence prevent, senior and veteran programs, and more.

But many Suffolk cultural arts and music organizations remain uncertain of what, if any, funding they will receive in 2011.

"I encourage you to continue to supports arts and cultural competitive grant process. Right now, there's a 28 percent cut in funding for the grant process," said Huntington Arts Council's Executive Director Diana Cherryholmes, whose organization helps dole out county grants to organizations across Suffolk.

"It will cause termination of significant arts and cultural programs serving Suffolk county and their visitors," Cherryholmes said. "The return on arts and cultural programs is $50 million annually."

John Coraor, chairman of Suffolk County's Cultural Affairs Citizen Advisory Board, said he didn't have specific figures but was fearful of what cuts the arts would face in 2011.

"It's difficult in an environment where you have youth agencies and agencies for domestic violence, to complain about cuts in cultural affairs as much as we believe in the important of those being funded," Coraor said. 

Legis. John Kennedy, R-Nesconset, said he managed to fight to restore funding to the Smithton Performing Arts Center under the omnibus resolutions, after they were originally slated to receive nothing.

Suffolk County Legislature adopted the recommended budget Wednesday, that if given Levy's approval, will finalize for the health care centers, civic agencies and community organizations.

Nonprofits arts organizations can apply through CAB's competitive grant process to a grant from a $263,660 lump sum, Coraor said, that is 28 percent less than last year.