Goals Backed by Budget Requests
Acting New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey (D) told attendees at the statewide Mental Health Summit in March, “The problems of mental illness are difficult and expensive.... I'm not going to pretend we are going to make lasting changes without new money.”
He followed up that declaration with a proposed budget that includes new funding for mental health services of approximately $40 million. If all of Codey's proposals are enacted, the mental health increases would come about despite his recommended cuts of $600 million in other state programs and increases in property taxes.
These are among the items for which Codey recommended budget increases and the amounts he recommended:
Expansion of staff at mental health screening centers. The county-based centers serve as the gateway to services at every level: $10 million | |||||
Screening for and education programs about postpartum depression: $5.5 million | |||||
Expansion of supportive services for those in permanent supportive housing: $5 million | |||||
Expansion of number of hours allocated for psychiatrists and advanced practice nurses at various state-operated or -funded facilities: $2.5 million | |||||
Expansion of outreach and programs at the state's 27 self-help centers: $2.1 million | |||||
Expansion of re-entry case-management services: $800,000 | |||||
Expansion of capability of the Community Health Care Law Project, which enables consumers to receive entitlements and adequate housing: $600,000 | |||||
Codey also proposed the creation of a $200 million Housing Trust Fund. Over a 10-year period, the trust fund would result in an estimated 10,000 permanent, affordable housing opportunities for people with mental illness or developmental disabilities.
