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Citizen Advocacy asks Milligville council for $30,000 to restore local office and services
Summary
Presenters from Citizen Advocacy recounted a local case and asked the council to consider a $30,000 FY2027 appropriation to reinstate a Milligville matchmaker and expand grassroots advocacy for people with developmental disabilities. Presenters said state and federal funding route through the Georgia Advocacy Office and cited recent awards and a county grant supporting local work.
Representatives of Citizen Advocacy asked the City Council on March 24 to consider $30,000 in FY2027 support to strengthen local advocacy services for people with developmental disabilities and to help reinstate a local Milligville office.
"Every person matters and that every person deserves to be seen and valued and protected and included," Katina Atmore, a long-time advocate speaking with Natasha Ansley, said while describing the group’s mission and individualized advocacy model. Atmore and Ansley described a recent case in which coordinated advocacy helped secure hospice and then ongoing care for a man discharged from institutional care decades earlier; the story was offered to illustrate the group's work and local impact.
Ansley and Atmore explained the funding pathway: the Georgia Advocacy Office is the state's protection-and-advocacy system and receives federal dollars that are allocated through the state (DBHD) and distributed to local offices. The presenters said the regional Mon office received over $100,000 and that a county grant of $65,000 had been written to support local match-making work in Milligville.
The presenters asked the council to consider a local appropriation of $30,000 for FY2027 to "deepen community roots" and expand services for residents with developmental disabilities. Council members asked clarifying questions about existing funding and whether Citizen Advocacy has a local physical office; presenters said the Milligville office is in process of being reinstated and that, during COVID, some offices closed and later regained funding through legislative action.
Council did not vote on the request during the meeting. Presenters left contact information and agreed to remain after the meeting for any follow-up questions from council members.
