Counties Face Cuts in Social Services

[MountainLaurel]

Arlington and Fairfax counties could lose millions of federal dollars for human service programs after they and many other localities throughout the state misused foster care funds, triggering a federal investigation, officials said.

Arlington will be hit harder than Fairfax, officials said, losing as much as $15 million the county had hoped to spend on programs that provide supportive housing for the mentally disabled and on a new residential home for disabled seniors. About 30 county jobs are in jeopardy. Fairfax could lose about $2 million a year, officials said.

A federal audit showed that cities and counties throughout Virginia were improperly diverting federal funds intended for foster care to similar but broader programs such as counseling and parent education. State and federal officials dickered for months after the audit was released, and on May 31 the two sides reached a settlement under which Virginia will be docked $42 million in federal money.

The news of the funding cuts has spread quickly among advocates for the disabled in Northern Virginia, as Arlington prepares this month to trim $5.5 million out of its social services budget for the coming year to make up for the shortfall.

snip

Advocates are having trouble sorting out whom to blame but say one thing is clear: The diverted money was spent on worthy programs.

"When you look at the budget, you think, 'Why wasn't this funded in the first place?' " Hope said. "That's how vital they are."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/09/AR2006070900716.html

[partylessinOhio]

1. More bad news and more homeless people will be "living" and dying

in the woods in Virginia. This is just another American shame. They're just a number.

Tax cuts are more important than social programs for humans.