Frankly, this is beyond "unconscionable" and borders on the criminally insane, which lends a bizarre irony to the entire situation. This will almost certainly have a huge financial impact; the increase in emergency services alone as providers respond to the problems that will arise will make the amount cut and "saved" look like peanuts in comparison. And this doesn't begin to include ancillary costs associated with such a drastic action....
Some compassionate conservatism, eh? Good grief.
California homeless program is cut
AP
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs the 2007-08 state budget as state officials look on during ceremonies at the Capitol in Sacramento.
Governor signs the budget today, which eliminates a $55-million project that focused on the mentally ill.
The fears of advocates for the mentally ill were realized today, when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger eliminated a $55 million-program that has helped thousands of mentally ill homeless people break the costly cycle of hospitalization, jails and street life.
The program had been on the chopping block all summer. Advocates, including the architects of California's closely watched effort to overhaul its troubled mental health system, had staged a furious lobbying effort to stave off the cut. They lost, a casualty of the Legislature's bitter, 51-day budget dispute.
In a letter to people who had flooded his office in recent weeks with pleas to save the mental health program, Schwarzenegger had called it "one of the few voluntary or non-mandated programs available for … reduction."
The governor signed California's budget today after using his veto power to eliminate $700 million, including this program; a spokesman did not immediately return calls seeking comment on the cut.
State Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), who created the program in 1999, called the decision "unconscionable."
He noted that despite the allegedly strapped conditions of the state, legislators managed to preserve a loophole allowing the owners of yachts, planes and recreational vehicles to avoid paying sales tax -- a measure that could cost the state as much as $45 million.
"A $45-million tax break for yacht owners stays in the budget," Steinberg said. "And a nationally recognized, incredibly effective program to end homelessness for those living with mental illness gets thrown under the bus."
The program served as the blueprint for Proposition 63, the 1%, voter-approved "millionaires' tax" earmarked for the overhaul of the mental health system.
Built to expand services beyond traditional outpatient care -- by incorporating job training, housing assistance, even, at times, grocery-buying skills and dental care -- the program has been a demonstrable success. Indeed, Schwarzenegger himself praised the program three years ago for creating "significant savings at the local level."
Known alternately as Integrated Services for Homeless Adults with Serious Mental Illness or AB 2034 -- after the bill that created it -- the program has served 13,000 people since November 1999.
Among the 4,444 participants enrolled as of January, there were 81% fewer days of incarceration, 65% fewer days of psychiatric hospitalization and 76% fewer days of homelessness.
scott.gold@latimes.com
lee.romney@latimes.com
