Statement from Gian Carl Casa, President & CEO of CT Nonprofit Community Alliance on Governor Lamont’s proposed biennial budget.
“We appreciate that the Governor’s proposed budget calls for an increase in funding for community-based nonprofits over the biennium. But without federal ARPA funding fully annualized, the Governor’s proposal is an effective $19 million cut for nonprofits in the first year.
“After nearly two decades of underfunding, nonprofit providers cannot absorb a cut, especially when federal funding is threatened and the state is projecting the eighth annual budget surplus. Nonprofits are in crisis. Without funding increases, they will struggle to provide residential and day services to people with developmental disabilities, substance abuse and mental health treatment, homeless shelters, re-entry programs and other vital human services. Programs will shrink, jobs will be lost, people will lose care.
“This is the beginning of the budget-adoption process. We are glad the Governor has recognized the need to update the fiscal guardrails. We urge him and the legislature to adopt a final budget agreement that uses those available dollars to fund vital safety net programs provided by community nonprofits.”