Last week, Luis B. Pérez, LCSW, President and CEO of Mental Health Connecticut (MHC) and Board Chair of the CT Alliance of Nonprofits (The Alliance), joined other leaders from the The Alliance for a press conference with a bipartisan group of legislators led by Sen. Cathy Osten, Chair of the Appropriations Committee, where they called upon the governor to raise funding for the state’s nonprofit organizations.
After years of underfunding, legislators and Nongovernmental, not-for-profit service providers are only strengthening their stance, “We are fully committed to moving forward as we promised last year to finally provide the resources for the nonprofits,” said Sen. Osten.
“Providers have demonstrated very clearly they can do things more efficiently and at a better level of care. That’s the right thing for the legislature to be doing.” said Sen. Eric Berthel, ranking member of the Appropriations Committee.
Luis B. Pérez, LCSW, who also spoke at the press conference, elaborates on how the work of social services suffers when folks can’t make a livable wage, “How can we assure that we can meet our mission when we are unable to fill positions? Our work is about relationship building so every time we lose an individual that has a relationship with one our participants, that work starts all over again.”
MHC hopes that this press conference, early in the 2023 legislative session, will help set the stage for legislators to learn more about how and where community-based non-profits make a difference across Connecticut. Funding the social service system means CT is investing in the future of our friends and families across the state. Our system supports individuals when they need it the most to grows the non-profit workforce as a vital part of our economy. MHC believes that the 2023 session will be instrumental in ensuring that the social service system is set up for success in years to come.
Please see the links below for media coverage of the press conference:
