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Big Brothers Big Sisters warns removal of TANF allocation will leave 1,000 Ohio children without mentors
Summary
A statewide Big Brothers Big Sisters representative told the Senate Finance Committee that the Senate version of the budget removed a $1 million per-fiscal-year TANF allocation that had supported more than 500 new mentoring matches annually and that the loss would leave about 1,000 children on waiting lists unserved.
A representative of Big Brothers Big Sisters told the Ohio Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday that the organization has relied on $1 million per fiscal year in TANF funds to create mentoring relationships across the state and that the Senate budget’s removal of that funding would leave many children without mentors.
"Since 2014, Big Brothers Big Sisters has received $1,000,000 per fiscal year in TANF funds to support mentoring across Ohio," Elizabeth Martin told senators. "The funding has created more than 500 new mentoring relationships annually…Without these dollars, over a thousand children statewide go without a mentor over the next two years."
Martin — testifying on behalf of Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliates in Ohio — said the DeWine administration’s executive budget had included $1 million per year for the program, the House cut TANF funding in half, and the Senate version removed the funding entirely. She said the statewide network serves more than 6,000 children and that roughly 2,000 were on waiting lists at the time of testimony.
Why it matters: Big Brothers Big Sisters argued the state investment yields long-term benefits — higher college attendance and earnings — and that the loss of TANF support would pressure local affiliates and reduce mentoring capacity statewide.
Discussion vs. decisions: Senators asked for program enrollment numbers and whether the organization would close without state funding. The witness said the program would not close but would not reach current capacity; no budget action occurred during the hearing.
Ending: Big Brothers Big Sisters asked the General Assembly to restore the TANF allocation during omnibus negotiations; senators heard the testimony and asked follow-up questions but did not vote.
