[Peace-discuss] Fwd: Priairie Center in Urbana to lose Million dollars for drug treatment programs

[Barbara kessel]

Substance Abuse Treatment Cuts
Reported by: *Charles Vance/WCIA 3*

*Wednesday, Jul 30, 2008 @02:23pm CST*

If you listen to the experts it's clear the governors recent cuts run deep
all across the state.
The governor cut $43-million from substance abuse treatment.
Officials say programs that have helped keep communities safer will suffer,
programs like drug court and mental health services.
Without the help, they fear many will end up crowding prisons and making
streets unsafe.
"We cannot afford the unintended costs that these cuts will create and the
devastation to communities and families that will soon follow," says
Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities Administrator (TASC), Kent
Holsopple.
At the Prairie Center in Urbana they'll lose nearly a million dollars
Twenty-one staff members will be out of a job come Friday and the center
will end its detox program.
That program helped 800 people so far this year.
Roxanne Grantham is an addictions counselor at prairie center but she also
knows first hand how important the center is.
Ten years ago Grantham got treatment for drug and alcohol abuse.
Now she's helping others going through the same thing and she's scared to
see it all go away.
"There's no doubt that I would not be clean had it not been for treatment I
know that," says Grantham.
"Something has to happen differently because there are no other agencies
here in C-U that are non-profit that are going to serve people that are
homeless, that have no money that have no place to go."
The cuts are effective immediately so unless legislators meet to veto the
cuts that help will not arrive.
Some representatives are working to help.
Rep. Chapin Rose from Mahomet is working on a proposal that could raise
$24-million for the treatment programs.
Now word on when that will be completed.
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