MEMO RE: EFFECT OF PROPOSED CUTS IN FY 2018-2019 BIENNIAL BUDGET ON CLRP’S ABILITY TO REPRESENT CLIENTS

CLRP receives the majority of its funding from three distinct sources which support our representation of clients in three core areas, in addition to income from fee-for-service work and donations:

1. The State of Connecticut, pursuant to a Consent Decree, to provide representation to people who are inpatients at CVH in Middletown, CMHC in New Haven, and GBCMHC in Bridgeport.

2. The State of Connecticut, to provide representation in housing cases to low income people with mental health conditions (i.e., DMHAS clients or DMHAS-eligible clients) in all of the state’s 169 cities and towns.

3. The Connecticut Bar Foundation, under grants funded through IOLTA, Court Fees-Grant-in-Aid, and Judicial Branch Grant-in-Aid programs, to provide representation for community clients on non-housing related matters.

CLRP staff members have not received a pay increase since January, 2015. Staff experienced the equivalent of a 2.5% salary reduction in 2016, due to the implementation of one furlough day/month for the first half of the calendar year in order to avoid layoffs.

The governor’s budget proposes to fund CLRP at “consent decree levels” which would mean the elimination of funding to support CLRP’s representation of clients living in the community on housing issues. This cut will result in a reduction of our core services to clients.

The loss of this critical funding would mean that CLRP would only be able to balance its budget through layoffs of approximately half its existing staff. The 550+ clients we represent each year in housing matters would no longer receive the cost-effective CLRP services that would otherwise help prevent their homelessness.

OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, VIRTUALLY EVERY CLIENT REPRESENTED BY CLRP IN A HOUSING LEGAL MATTER EITHER MAINTAINED HOUSING OR HAD ACCESS TO HOUSING WHEN THE CASE WAS CLOSED.

We would likely be unable to provide legal representation in the whole array of cases that we do now – including discrimination in education and employment, because we will not have the legal staff available to handle those cases. We may be limited to representing community clients only in the preparation of advance directives and in Social Security disability cases.

Connecticut Legal Rights Project, Inc. P.O. Box 351, Silver Street, Middletown, CT 06457 (860) 262-5030

Questions? Please contact Kathy Flaherty, or (860) 262-5033