Imagine Scottsdale’s entire population was struck with a natural disaster. We would rush to their aid immediately. We would marshal the resources of the state, community organizations and the faith community, like we did with Katrina refugees, even in the midst of our current economic disaster. We would take federal disaster relief and help the people with housing, food, family support services, health services, anything and everything necessary, both short and long term to help those families return to financial stability.
When you add up all the people impacted by Legislature’s health and human services cuts, without including the people who are being thrown into unemployment by these cuts, the end results impact about the same number of individuals living in Scottsdale. What the Legislature has done regarding the state budget cuts for health and human services is to create our own disaster.
The Legislature’s actions are like FEMA’s incompetence during the Katrina disaster, only our state’s actions are a created and unnecessary attack on the most vulnerable and families when they need the support the most. Many children, adults and children with disabilities, seniors, their caregivers and their families will suffer tremendously and needlessly.
The Protecting Arizona’s Family Coalition condemns the consequences of 2009 budget cuts imposed by the Legislature on the Departments of Economic Security and Health Services and AHCCCS for children, people with disabilities, seniors, their caregivers and families. The cuts shred the tattered remains of the current state safety net. The cuts may leave some areas of our state without any services. These reductions will fly in the face of many federal regulations for accuracy, accessibility, and timeliness of services and benefits.
Beyond the large number of layoffs being experienced in various state agencies, community services and health and human services agencies are being forced to lay off thousands of staff further contributing to the state’s economic woes and putting more families at risk. Community agencies and faith organizations are being overwhelmed by rising demands at the same time that donations are down sharply. These cuts only compound the lack of current community capacity to respond while adding to the economic downturn with more unemployment and decreasing economic activity.
We acknowledge the state’s dire revenues and recognize that actions on the state budget needed to be taken. However, there are options to all these cuts forced on the departments of Economic Security and Health Services and AHCCCS.
The governor with the Legislature must take immediate action to stop these cuts by accepting and using all available federal stimulus funds for health and human services, including for child care and child welfare and other health and family services. The state would take any federal relief if the crisis we faced was a natural disaster, and it is only right do the same now.
For the 2010 budget, the governor and the Legislature must not continue or enact such reductions and program eliminations. Cuts to essential services provided by state agencies in the areas of health and human services must be taken off the table to the fullest extent possible to avoid more destructive actions against children, families and vulnerable adults. All proceedings regarding the 2010 budget must be completely open and transparent. Lump-sum cuts must be avoided to avert these types of masked consequences in the public policy process. The 2010 budget must not do more harm. We must not repeat the disaster of the 2009 cuts.
Long term, the state must look to tax reform to create a fair, equitable and adequate revenue base and tax system to enable government to address its responsibilities for the common good.
The measure of a civilized humane society is how it treats its most vulnerable members, particularly at their time of critical need. Government actions must not be sources of destruction and despair, but in partnership with community-based organizations and faith communities, must be a sources of hope, support and resilience for families. 
We call upon the governor and the Legislature to practice visionary, courageous and compassionate leadership that gives hope to families in desperate need and restore immediately the cuts made to health and human services.
And by the way, Scottsdale’s estimated population is about 240,000.
— Timothy J. Schmaltz is coordinator with the Protecting Arizona’s Family Coalition, an alliance of social service, health and community service agencies, advocacy groups and faith-based associations.