GAHSC

Board Advocacy Letter

September 3, 2008

Dear Board Members:

Now is the time for all good Board members to come to the aid of their Methodist Home.

I have enclosed several information sheets from GAHSC found at: http://www.gahsc.org/nm/2008/ccsindex.html .

Georgia is facing $1.5 to $2 billion in deficits this year. The Governor has horrible “no win” decisions to make, yet, our major financial crisis came in a good economic 2007.

For us to have more and extreme cuts will:

1. Put our foster care program in jeopardy.

2. May result in closing residential units and/or regions with another cut of $(amount of your cuts) in the Room, Board and Watchful Oversight rates.

3. Place a growing stress between program safety and even greater oversight by the state.

4. Continue the dismantling of the faith-based private sector which has provided Georgia with invaluable service and support for over 100 years.

In short, we need relief. Thank you for your support and my letter is attached.

Sincerely,

Sample Letter to Governor

Dear Governor Perdue:

I cannot imagine the burden you feel with the projected deficit Georgia faces. You are left with few if any positive choices.

At the (your agency name here), we are feeling the pressure from two sides. On the one hand, further cuts together with new financial penalties from DFCS leads us to believe that DFCS does not want nor need private providers in foster care and it’s time to give up on an extremely successful program. A 25% cut is drastic. The possibility of a $5,000 fine for foster parents missing training or their five-year TB shots is mind boggling, yet this is possible when an agency has four or more out-of-compliance foster homes in a year.

For the 2009-2010 budget, a 13% cut in Room, Board, and Watchful Oversight will result in another (the $ amount of the decrease here) decrease and we must decide how we provide quality services safely or what programs we terminate. These cuts on top of the (the $ amount of your loss here) loss we had in 2007-08 make it overwhelming in scope.

On the other hand, another problem is becoming overwhelming. Last year, we had 11 oversight bodies looking at our work. This year, we have 18. We must dedicate countless staff hours to some matters that are significant, but others that are very insignificant. It is literally “the many, watching the few, serve the many.”

What is even more alarming is that many oversight functions are at cross purposes. It is impossible to satisfy all, so we end up satisfying no one… and we are one of the best child caring agencies in the entire Southeast.

Governor … we need some relief, any relief… We pray God’s strength as you work through these tumultuous times.

Sincerely,

Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Children