It is clear that we have both spending and revenue issues to work out in Minnesota. Do we really want to slash and burn every State program? I hope not! Do we want Minnesota to keep turning its back on our children and youth and balance the state budget on the backs of those who need it the most? I hope note! Should we expect State programs and services to be of the best quality and show positive outcomes! Absolutely!
When the State of Minnesota has a growing prison population and the cost to house these prisoners continues to rise, does it make sense to cut early youth intervention programs like the Youth Intervention Program that has a proven track record of keeping youth from progressing into the costly juvenile justice system? No! Does it make sense to cut youth intervention programs that Economists from our very own Wilder Research and the University of MN Humphrey Institute have shown has a social return on investment (SROI) of almost $5 saved for every $1 invested? Absolutely not!
This is the time when we need leadership from the Governor and the Legislature. They need to look at every option available to help balance the budget. We know spending cuts will be part of the solution, but let’s be wise with how these cuts are made. Across the board spending cuts might seem like the fairest way to proceed but also punishes the programs that are the most effective. Quality programs and services with positive SROI’s should be maintained (note that I am saying “maintained” not “increased” right now) as this only makes sense for keeping our future costs down. The programs that cannot show quality or positive outcomes are the ones that could, or should be, reduced until they can prove otherwise. Like I said earlier, cuts alone won’t do the trick this time around so the only way to lessen the burden on our children, youth and those hit hardest by this recession is to ensure that cuts are made strategically and revenues are raised fairly. Let’s not continue our ways of being penny wise and pound foolish!
Last week at a hearing of the House of Public Finance Committee, Public Safety testified as to its programs and budget. Legislators have already begun asking why the Office of Justice Programs should not get a bigger reduction in funding. The blog Minnesota Budget Bites posted this article related to the budget and to the Public Safety issue in particular.
As many of you know, one of YIPA’s primary missions is to advocate for Youth Intervention Program funding, which comes from the Office of Justice Programs within Public Safety. YIP grants support a wide variety of youth intervention programs in Minnesota, which play a vital role in keeping communities safe and young people out of the juvenile justice system. Youth intervention service providers see the value of their work every day in the lives of the young people they serve. Legislators have a different perspective, especially in this economy – but youth intervention also has dollars and cents on our side!
We encourage ALL of you to talk to your local legislators, use the social return on investment information to make sure that they understand how valuable youth intervention is and how vital it is to the safety and well being of Minnesota.
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