Programs for Delinquent, Runaway Youth Face Loss of Funds in State Budget Cuts

Five local programs for troubled youngsters will probably lose their county contracts in 30 days because of sweeping state budget cuts.

The Board of Supervisors, which administers state money in the county, put the programs on 30-day termination notice Tuesday, and program representatives said they probably will be forced to cease or drastically curtail providing shelter, counseling and emergency services to runaways and juvenile delinquents.

“It’s really a sad thing to see in today’s society,” said Baltazar Perez, executive director of Chicano Pintos Inc., a job counseling and emergency services program that had its funding slashed by 50% in the state budget. “It says a lot about where our priorities are.”

Chicano Pintos, also known as CPI, is one of five local programs that will see their funding cut as a result of vetoes that Gov. Deukmejian exercised in signing this year’s state budget. All told, the programs will lose about half of their funding, a total of $2.5 million.

Tuesday’s contract terminations could affect hundreds of youngsters every year, officials said, leaving many youngsters who would otherwise have sought shelter or counseling to fend for themselves.

Four shelters in the county set up specifically to serve youngsters--runaways or abused children--could close or be forced to cut back on the number of beds they offer. Programs that give job counseling to former jail inmates may shut down, and services that provide emergency relief to homeless youths also may be drastically cut back.

Deborah Abrecht, associate executive director of Orange County Youth and Family Services, said the Amparo Youth Shelter in Garden Grove--which lost $155,000 from its $300,000 annual budget--may have to close its doors, at least temporarily. “It’s kind of a sad day over here,” Abrecht said.

There are likely to be more cuts because the county still is grappling with millions of dollars in shortfalls, some of which are the result of its own funding problems and others of which were handed down in the state budget last week.

“It’s just mind-boggling,” said Luciann Maulhardt, executive director of Casa Youth Shelter in Los Alamitos. “My board of directors is not going to turn its back on these kids, but it’s going to be tough.”

Casa Youth Shelter lost $132,000 of its $400,000 budget, Maulhardt said, and board members have scheduled an emergency session for today to assess the damage.

Western Youth Services, which operates the Odyssey Youth Shelter in Anaheim, lost about half its state funding.

For programs that would normally try to tap the private sector for funds, this year may also prove more difficult, as competition among nonprofit groups will be intense.

“The well is muddied up, to say the least,” said Margot R. Carlson, executive director of Community Services Program, known as CSP, which will lose about half of its $300,000 annual budget. The organization also runs a youth shelter. “This is just demoralizing. It’s debilitating.”