Beulah Baptist Institutional Church was the setting Monday evening of the third of five town hall meetings intended to give a voice to those whose lives are affected by budget cuts of human services. The event was sponsored by For the Family and Pastors on Patrol, two non-profit organizations aimed at improving the lives of the working class.
“Budget cuts are traditionally presented from a coldly fiscal point of view, with little if any attention paid to the burden they actually create for people who depend on the affected services,” said Ward Cox, administrator of For the Family, of the meeting. “The town hall meetings are intended to change that by personalizing the impact in a way that helps people realize that "There but for the Grace of God go I." The fact that our ongoing economic slump puts more people in need of services must also be taken into account. As people understand these dual considerations, it is our hope that a more balanced approach will be taken in determining future budget cuts, though the process of reaching policymakers is made more difficult by the lack of sufficient lobbying resources.”
This article appears in May 9-15, 2013.