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Audio: Comments from the Board of Supervisors and CEO regarding ADMHS cuts
 We’ve worked for 30 years to provide housing, social rehabilitation and employment and more for people with severe mental illness. Our programs have served thousands, providing independent living skills and self-advocacy training, social support, mental health education, vocational training and paid employment.
We believe the programs we provide are the essential part of recovery for over 1,000 adults with mental illness in our community.
That’s why we contract with Santa Barbara County to make these programs a reality. Yet, in the face of its current budget deficit, the County Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services (ADMHS) department has chosen to cut 58 percent of the funding for our clients’ programs.
The cuts ADMHS is proposing will lead to a greater deficit - not less, a devastating increase in human suffering, and major problems for our communities:
- Current community supports which allow people with mental health disability to live independently will be gutted.
- Without housing, the 2-1-1 Helpline, a day program to attend, or a regular paid job, the disenfranchised mentally ill of our county will be in grave risk of destabilizing, which statistically results in crisis and costly institutionalization.
- Costs to the county through increased mobile crisis team use for mental health emergencies, increased in-patient hospitalization and an increased burden on criminal justice and law enforcement systems will escalate.
- Our communities will most certainly feel the impact through a significant gap in the safety net of mental health programs, a loss of gains made in – and community funding for – local mental health services over last 30 years, and an increased risk to community safety.
 Local leaders of nonprofit mental health and housing agencies gathered February 6, 2008 to establish the Association of Local Leaders for Community Mental Health, or ALL 4 CMH. The coalition was formed to promote improved delivery and increased efficiency of mental health services and housing supports in Santa Barbara County. ALL 4 CMH members represent over 200 years of leadership in local nonprofit agencies with expertise in fund development and efficient service delivery.
Comments from the Board of Supervisors and CEO regarding ADMHS cuts. Click on the links to hear the clips.
March, 11 2008
February, 5 2008
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