(October 15, 2023) By Eileen Crosby, The Alliance for Rights and Recovery (formerly NYAPRS)

The mental health workforce has been underfunded for decades. All of us know the lack of adequate pay is one of many reasons so many people leave the workforce, which only makes accessing services harder in a time where the need for services is rapidly expanding. The Alliance for Rights and Recovery will be pushing for increased funding for the workforce and system as the state begins to shape next year’s budget. The Alliance joins a dozen other statewide organizations representing peers, adult and children service providers, families, and other stakeholders to push the state to include a 3.2% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) as well as $500 million in flexible funding for behavioral health services in the coming budget. We will spend the next few months working to get this desperately needed funding into the budget. Continue to monitor our ENews to learn ways you can join our advocacy efforts.

See below for more information on the need for this funding, including the needed improvements to services to support more people.

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