Today, the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs and the policy committees of the Maine Legislature are holding public hearings in Room 228 of the State House on the Governor’s CHANGE PACKAGE to LD 1043. If passed, this change package will close both of Crossroads for Women’s residential facilities.
We asked for your help to fight the initial cuts that were proposed, and you acted. We gained support for our cause from many legislators, who in turn recommended restoring most of the Fund for Healthy Maine money back to substance abuse treatment and prevention. While the governor’s proposed change package restores $2.5 million in funds to the Office of Substance Abuse (OSA) in the next fiscal year, OSA has determined that these funds will not be allocated to restore funding for 3 of the 10 agencies who provide residential treatment programs, including Crossroads for Women. We feel this response severely targets the women of Maine.
Barbara Dacri, Crossroads for Women’s executive director, will be testifying on the behalf of Maine women today. Our hearing time should be somewhere between 4:30pm and 5:15pm. You can listen to the public hearings and work sessions online.
We need your help contacting legislators now. Tell them they need to restore all of the money to the OSA budget and support women in recovery. Below, you’ll find ways to contact your local representatives in the Maine legislature and a fact sheet with more info about the cuts and how they affect Crossroads for Women and all Maine women.
Take Action
Contact Your Representatives:
Maine State Senators
Maine House of Representatives
Maine needs a place to which they can turn for help with the devastating disease of substance abuse, a place where they can send their wives and partners, their mothers, their sisters, their daughters to remember who they wanted to be. If Crossroads closes, where will the women and children go?
Thank you for your continued support. Please share this post with anyone who supports women and children in Maine.
