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Citizen Advocacy asks Milledgeville council for $30,000 to expand local advocacy services
Summary
Representatives from Citizen Advocacy described casework and volunteer match services for people with developmental disabilities and asked the council to consider a $30,000 allocation in FY2027 to restore and expand local services; they reported federal and state funding channels that support the program.
Natasha Ansley and Katina Atmore, representing Citizen Advocacy, told the City Council on March 24 that the organization provides one-to-one volunteer advocacy for people with developmental disabilities and asked for a $30,000 allocation in the FY2027 city budget to strengthen local operations.
"To continue to grow this mission in FY 2027, we are asking if the council would consider a $30,000 investment," Katina Atmore said, describing how local advocates intervene in medical, legal, and placement situations for clients. The presenters recounted a recent case in which an advocate obtained hospice paperwork and medical oversight that stabilized a client’s condition.
Atmore and Ansley said the Georgia Advocacy Office (the state's protection-and-advocacy system) provides federal funding routed through the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and that local offices receive varying levels of county and grant support; they noted that COVID-era funding shortfalls had closed some local offices and that state and county grants had helped restore services.
Council members asked about office location and partnerships; the presenters said local work is currently handled through regional arrangements and that the group is seeking a stronger local presence. Mayor Pro Tem (speaker 3) invited the presenters to remain after the meeting for further questions.
The council did not take a budget vote at the meeting; the request was made as part of the city's public-comment/presentation calendar and will be considered during budget deliberations.
