Police urge township to press state to restore Volunteers of America funding after cuts
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Summary
Police and community partners asked the township committee to help advocate with state legislators to restore funding cut to Volunteers of America, a local partner that provides casework referrals for people with mental-health, substance-use and homelessness needs.
The Egg Harbor Township Police Department asked the township committee to advocate with state legislators to restore funding for Volunteers of America (VOA), which the chief said has a satellite office serving residents and partnering with police on behavioral-health, homelessness and substance-use referrals.
A police representative told the committee the state has cut approximately $5,000,000 in VOA funding and that the local VOA operation provides an important hand-off for officers responding to people who need services rather than immediate arrest or hospitalization. The police representative said VOA staff work in the township building and that those services reduce repeated demand on public-safety resources.
Committee members agreed to pursue outreach to the senator and assembly members and to attempt to set a meeting to advocate for restoration of the funding before legislative budget votes. The chief and committee said the VOA had offered to appear at a future meeting to brief officials and provide supporting material.
No formal vote was recorded on a specific appropriation; the committee directed staff to contact state legislators and attempt to arrange a meeting to discuss restoring VOA funding.
