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Daniel Santo Pietro delivered testimony on Fiscal Year 2009’s budget to Sen. Baraba Buono and other members of the State Senate on March12 at Rutgers University- New Brunswick.  To read the testimony in its entirety click here.

After reviewing the Governor’s proposed budget HDANJ wishes to raise priority concerns for consideration as the budget is developed in its final form.  There are many other areas of the budget that are concerns, but respecting our current fiscal crisis, we are focusing on areas that are the highest priority from our perspective:

1. The Center for Hispanic Policy, Research and Development in DCA.

      Last year the Governor and the legislature increased the CHPRD budget, which finally allowed the Center to stabilize core Hispanic programs that had faced a fifty per cent growth in demand because of the rapid growth in the Hispanic population in the last decade.  The proposed cut of $900,000 would again destabilize Drop Out Prevention, Child Abuse Prevention, Multi-Purpose Community Counseling, Youth Employment Readiness, Youth and Senior services all carried out by Hispanic led CBO’s throughout the State.  A new initiative that helped five (5) agencies develop domestic violence projects in Counties that underserve Latinas is endangered as well.  HDANJ will seek to ameliorate this impact.

1. The Divisions of Mental Health and Disabilities in the Department of Human Services expansion of Community Mental Health Services and Housing.

      HDANJ has called attention in the past to the dearth of mental health and disability services to meet the needs of the growing Hispanic population.  Since the largest proposed budget increase for human services is for expanding housing and treatment opportunities in the community, HDANJ is seeking a commitment that at least a portion of the housing and funding for community treatment target Hispanics and their particular needs. 

1. Department of Law and Public Safety Reentry Program

      Since Latinos are the second largest segment of New Jersey’s incarcerated population, HDANJ proposes that DLPS include in its funding an initiative for Hispanic reentry as part of “A Strategy for Safe Streets and Neighborhoods”.  Hispanic community organizations are prepared to play a major role in assuring the success of this program.