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Big Brothers Big Sisters warns Senate cutting TANF support will leave more Ohio children without mentors
Summary
Stephanie Hightower of Big Brothers Big Sisters told the Senate Finance Committee the removal of $1 million per fiscal year in TANF funding would leave more than 1,000 children statewide without mentors and deepen waiting lists already exceeding 2,000 children.
Stephanie Hightower testified to the Senate Finance Committee that state TANF funding has supported mentoring delivered by Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) since 2014 and that the program’s capacity relies on the $1 million per fiscal year appropriation. Hightower said the DeWine administration included $1,000,000 per fiscal year in the executive budget, the House cut TANF funding in half, and the Senate committee had removed the funding entirely.
Hightower said BBBS’s statewide network creates more than 500 new mentoring relationships annually and currently serves over 6,000 Ohio children, with more than 2,000 on waiting lists. "Without these dollars, over a thousand children statewide go without a mentor over the next 2 years," she told the committee, urging restoration of the line item in HB 96.
Hightower described mentoring as an evidence‑based intervention that improves school, post‑secondary and workforce outcomes; she cited research in testimony about higher college attendance and increased earnings for mentored youth. Committee members questioned whether central fiscal agent arrangements would distribute funds statewide; Hightower said her Central Ohio agency serves as the fiscal agent for 17 affiliates across the state and that funding reductions would impact affiliates in Hamilton, Butler and other counties.
Why it matters: State TANF dollars have underpinned a statewide mentoring network that providers say reaches thousands of children; advocates said cutting the TANF earmark will immediately reduce served children and increase waiting lists.
Ending: Hightower asked senators to restore the TANF allocation in the omnibus budget; she offered to answer committee questions about statewide distribution and program outcomes.
