This Action Alert comes from the New York Association on Independent Living:
Independent Living Centers severely underfunded in proposed Executive Budget!
We all know how crucial Independent Living Centers are in communities across the State. They provide a wide array of supports and services that help people be independent and integrated in their communities. ILCs rely on the State for funding to provide these vital services, but the State has failed to adequately fund centers for the better part of two decades, leaving centers struggling to continue providing core IL services.
Unfortunately, Governor Cuomo’s proposed Executive Budget once again failed to give centers the additional funding they need to meet the needs of their communities, and even cuts their funding! But it isn’t too late for these cuts to be restored and for the ILCs to get an increase in the final budget!
The next step is the legislature. The Senate and Assembly will release their one house budget responses in March. We need to make sure leadership in the Senate and Assembly hear about the importance of ensuring their one house budgets include a funding increase of $5 million for ILCs!
What You Can Do
Send a message to your Senator and Assemblymember urging them to speak to the Chair of the Education Committee and to the leaders – Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie - in support of an increase of only $5 million for Independent Living Centers being included in their one house budget response!
Click Here to Send Your Message in Support of Independent Living Centers Now!