The Department of Public Health may lose funding for the Youth At Risk Grant program
Hi Brick House friends & supporters,
We’re facing a crisis and we need your help! Right now, the House/Senate Joint Conference Committee is reviewing the state budget to present to Gov. Baker for approval later this month. While the budget originally prepared by the House Ways & Means Committee had increased the line of funding for DPH Youth At Risk Grants, a core piece of funding for the operations of our Teen Center, the Senate Ways & Means budget cut that number in half. This would mean we would lose our DPH funding and only Girls & Boys Clubs and YMCAs would receive contracts. This cut would negatively impact smaller communities across the state, and because the grant requires 100% matching funds, it’s possible that these matches will disappear without the DPH funds effectively doubling the cut. The funding that The Brick House receives also supports the street outreach team from Dial/Self Youth & Community Services and the School-to-Career program of the Franklin/Hampshire Career Center.
Representative Steve Kulik, who is the chair of the House Ways & Means Committee and has championed this cause in the past, is a member of the 6-person Joint Conference Committee. If you’re a resident of the First Franklin District (which includes Montague), please give his office a call and thank him for his support for this funding and encourage him to stand strong on this budget line. If you’re from the 2nd Berkshire District (which includes Greenfield), please call Rep. Paul Mark’s office and ask that he contact Steve Kulik regarding this issue. See contact info listed below.
A handful of phone calls could make all the difference!
Thanks from the staff and board of The Brick House
Rep. Steve Kulik
State House Room 238, Boston, MA 02133
Phone: 617-722-2380
Fax: 617-722-2847
Email: Stephen.Kulik@mahouse.gov
District Office
Paul Dunphy, District Affairs Coordinator
PO Box 49
Haydenville, MA 01039
Phone:413-977-3580
Rep. Paul Mark
State House Room 166, Boston, MA 02133
Phone: 617-722-2692
Fax: 617-626-0249
Email:Paul.Mark@mahouse.gov
District Office
P.O. Box 114
Dalton, MA 01227
Phone:413-464-5635
P.S. – If you’d like a crash-course in where we stand in the state budget process, here’s a good article from the Worcester Telegram.