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Big Brothers Big Sisters warns funding cut would leave more than 1,000 Ohio children without mentors
Summary
Big Brothers Big Sisters told the Ohio Senate Finance Committee that removal of $1 million per year in TANF support from substitute House Bill 96 would halt creation of more than 500 mentoring relationships annually and leave over 2,000 children on waiting lists statewide.
Elizabeth Martinx, a representative of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio, urged the Ohio Senate Finance Committee on HB 96 to restore state TANF funding that the organization says supported mentoring statewide since 2014.
"Without these dollars, over a thousand children statewide go without a mentor over the next 2 years," Martinx told Chair Serino and members of the committee, saying the DeWine administration included $1,000,000 per fiscal year in its budget but the House cut the TANF funding in half and the Senate finance committee removed it entirely.
The organization said the $1 million-per-year TANF allocation has created more than 500 new mentoring relationships annually and that its statewide affiliates now serve "over 6,000 kids in Ohio" while more than "2,000 kids" remain on waiting lists.
Why it matters: Big Brothers Big Sisters’ testimony framed the TANF dollars as an investment intended to expand long-term mentoring relationships that the group described as improving school attendance, college enrollment and income outcomes later in life. Martinx cited research she described as coming from Harvard University and the U.S. Treasury to underline the program’s measurable benefits.
Committee exchange and context: Senators on the panel pressed Martinx on program scale and distribution. Senator Chavez asked whether the program would “completely shut down” without state funding; Martinx replied that programs would continue to operate but “would not be able to reach the capacity that we need” and noted waiting lists across the state. Senator Ingram clarified that the Central Ohio office acts as a fiscal agent for 17 affiliates and that the fiscal-agent arrangement distributes TANF funds to affiliates across the state.
What was not decided: The hearing record shows discussion and advocacy but no committee vote or formal amendment on the record to restore the line item during this session.
Ending: Martinx closed by asking senators to "stand with us and keep it going," and offered to answer follow-up questions. The Senate committee proceeded to hear additional witnesses on other budget provisions.
