Once again, as we begin a new decade, Connecticut’s non-profits are at the mercy of state budget adjustments. One reason is that policymakers do not understand the importance of human services and why they are essential in our (their) communities. Human services are often perceived as charity for people who have not taken advantage of their opportunities, not worked hard enough and made poor decisions. It is believed that it’s their own “fault” that they need help. These assumptions are flat out wrong.
Benjamin Davies
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Medicaid is essential to Connecticut and the rest of America
Medicaid is an essential part of America’s safety net and is relied on by many millions of working families, children, and people with disabilities in our country. It helps fund hospitals and doctors that deliver health care to people who would otherwise be unable to pay. Without Medicaid, providers would still have to offer these services; they would just have to absorb the cost, hurting the system overall. Medicaid also provides an economic boost to the states, with the federal government covering most of the costs, pumping millions into state economies.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Property tax levies are hurting nonprofit organizations and their clients
MARC Community Resources, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing residential and day services to individuals with intellectual, physical, and developmental disabilities throughout Middlesex County, recently received notification of denied tax exemption on several group homes, as well as two-day programs owned and operated in Cromwell. This tax forces community nonprofits like MARC, burdened by years of state budget cuts, to choose between costly litigation and paying taxes on property that is exempt by state law. Either of these options takes critical funding away from essential services for MARC’s program participants.