You know that feeling of having that trusted person you can count on? That one person you know will always have your back?
For hundreds of individuals and families in Connecticut each year, the Keep the Promise Coalition (KTP) has stepped in to fight for an individual’s rights and to remind legislators of the power of a promise.
Today, MHC helped KTP celebrate 20 years of advocacy in mental health and human rights. It’s a celebration of the often unknown, deeply personal, challenging work of being the persistent “Who” on the ear of the Horton-like Connecticut legislature to ensure that the money promised for community-based care (when state psychiatric hospitals were closing down) were truly protected in the budget. That has not happened. Over the years, community-based services have lost 17.5% of allocated dollars from the budget.
“It would be nice to see that promise kept so we wouldn’t have to be here anymore. But, we will be here until they do,” Paul Acker, Co-Chair of Keep the Promise Coalition who has been involved since 2006.
Celebrating 20 years is also a reminder that this Coalition has been forced to hold the constant drum beat of “don’t forget about the promises you made Connecticut.” Thanks to KTP, state legislators are well aware of how their budget and legislative decisions impact Connecticut residents.
“KTP’s grassroots structure and ability to ‘put a face’ on the issues by bringing personal stories to state policy makers build empathy and better understanding,” KTP Member.
The Keep the Promise Coalition was organized in 1999 when the Connecticut Legal Rights Project (CLRP) convened a meeting of mental health advocates to discuss the U.S. Supreme Court decision in L.C. v Olmstead which prohibited the unjustified institutionalization of persons with disabilities. They documented the lack of housing and community services required to implement the decision, while $13.6 million went from the mental health to the general fund when hospitals closed.
KTP continues to ensure that community-based services are a top priority in Connecticut and that legislators understand the return on investment that community-based services provide. With more than forty agencies and organizations participating in KTP, the coalition has played a lead role on a range of issues, including peer engagement services, statewide jail diversion programs and juvenile justice reform, services for youth aging out of DCF, integrated health services, school based health centers, mental health parity, housing and homelessness, civil rights and discrimination, and early intervention and prevention. In 2015, agencies focused on children’s services established a separate advocacy group to specifically address those issues. However, KTP continues to advocate on housing and mental health issues throughout the lifespan.
“The power of KTP is all of you. You drive here from all over the state so you can tell the state that we have never had the emphasis on community-based services, and it’s these services that allow all of us in our 169 towns thrive,” said Kathy Flaherty, Executive Director of Connecticut Legal Rights Project (CLRP) and Co-Chair of KTP.
KTP Staff with Governor Lamont
“One thing I’ve been telling legislators is that this is not about mental health or addiction. This is about the human condition, and the condition of being human,” said Luis Perez, President and CEO of Mental Health Connecticut, a sponsor of today’s KTP celebration.
MHC would like to thank KTP for all they do to keep the promise alive. In turn, we promise to help you fight the good fight until the state restores funding to community-based services and ensures equal access to all!
Want to join us in wishing KTP a Happy 20th Anniversary, send them a #WellnessWish and tag us at @mentalhealthCT on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
