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Nonprofits and advocates urge Cuyahoga County to protect health and human services in tight budget
Summary
At a Nov. 12 budget hearing, shelter and child-welfare providers and advocacy groups told the finance committee cuts to health and human services would harm vulnerable residents and urged restoration of specific programs and funds, including $1.2 million in services cited by Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry and preservation of MetroHealth subsidy.
Dozens of witnesses addressed the county’s recommended budget during public testimony on Nov. 12, asking council to protect funding for health and human services and programs serving unhoused residents, kinship caregivers and families.
Michael Searing, chief program officer at Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, told the committee the draft budget would create a sizeable shortfall for the organization’s Lakeside campus shelter operations because prior contracts and one-time ARPA funding had masked ongoing costs. Searing asked for an additional $1.2 million to maintain family overflow services (which he said serve 278 households and 781 people annually), a family flex fund (96 households, 361 people) and single-person overflow transportation (approx. $70,000). He said the family services program averages about $1,200 to fast-track a family into housing and cited a 94% housing stability rate at one year for those served.
Speakers from NOBLE (Northern Ohioans for Budget Legislation Equality) including Larry Bresler and Che Gaddison urged the council to protect critical programs that address housing, mental health and children's services and to convene a task force to identify new revenue options. Gail Long, who also spoke with NOBLE, urged the council not to cut the subsidy to MetroHealth and to restore the county’s contribution to $35 million.
Other public commenters cited rising hunger, transportation gaps for overflow shelter placements and the need to staff administrative functions in the county’s job and family services department to reduce SNAP and Medicaid error rates. Committee members thanked presenters, acknowledged the tight budget constraints and asked for written amendments by Friday; leadership said it would meet and present a package on Monday with flexibility to adjust after the Nov. 17 sheriff’s budget hearing.
Next steps: Council leadership will collect amendment proposals by Friday, meet to consolidate them and present recommended amendments at the next committee meeting; full council consideration is scheduled per the committee’s calendar.
