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Safe Kids and the Children's Advocacy Center warn cuts could cost lives and add long-term expenses
Summary
Presenters from Safe Kids and the Red River Children's Advocacy Center told commissioners their programs prevent severe injuries and support abused children; speakers said county support leverages other funds and urged the board to weigh long-term costs when considering cuts.
Representatives of two child-safety nonprofit programs appealed to the county commission during the budget workshop, urging commissioners to avoid deep cuts to prevention and advocacy services.
Karma (Ka) Hansen, who identified herself as coordinator for the Safe Kids Coalition serving the Grand Forks area, described decades of injury-prevention programs — including a water-safety program that trains hundreds of children each year and car-seat distribution and installation services — and gave multiple anecdotes of lives she said were saved because of the programs. Hansen said the county contribution (about $24,250) translates to roughly 32.5 cents per county resident and supports broad programming including water-safety classes, car-seat checks, foster-family support, helmet and bike-safety initiatives and outreach in smaller communities across the county.
Sarah Matthews, representing the Red River Children's Advocacy Center, described the center’s forensic-interview and follow-up services for abused children and families. Matthews said the Grand Forks office is small but growing, that the county contribution represents a meaningful share of the local budget, and that the program has seen a 66% increase in services over three years. She added that the center provides recorded interviews for law enforcement and evidence-based mental-health follow-up for families and children.
Both speakers argued that cutting prevention and child-protection programs could lead to higher long-term costs in health care, special education and criminal-justice systems. They asked the commission to consider program outcomes and how small county investments leverage other funds, and they volunteered to provide additional budget and program detail for staff review.
Next steps: commissioners instructed staff to assemble revenue forecasts and contract-level analyses. Nonprofit representatives were told they could return with more detailed fiscal breakdowns for subsequent budget meetings.
Speakers quoted: "For 30 years we’ve been doing a water safety program... we bring in 800 kids..." — Karma Hansen; "We are seeing a 66% increase in the last three years of services provided" — Sarah Matthews.
