Brookhaven cuts aid to youth programs

Derrick Roundtree has attended Brookhaven Town's Safe Summer Youth Program in North Bellport for 14 years and matter-of-factly cites his reason for wanting it to continue.

"It gives somewhere safe that kids can go where their parents cannot worry about their kids being shot," said Roundtree, 20, who described his community as plagued by violence and crime with limited youth recreation options.

But the town is cutting back funding programs like a North Bellport youth night, which allows teens to dance, play basketball and listen to a disc jockey at a Martha Avenue park under the supervision of town workers.

A reduction in state grant money led Brookhaven to cut money for programs and private agencies that serve at-risk children, town officials said.

The town reduced its own youth bureau programs budget by more than $46,000 -- more than one-fifth -- and scaled back its funding to agencies by more than $67,000, officials said. The cut to agencies represents more than 25 percent of money the town was slated to give the organizations, which also rely on donors and other sources.

The cuts have caused the town to reduce hours for programs that provide employment opportunities, counseling and social work for children, said Donna Napoli, acting director of the town's youth bureau.

"What we're trying to do is not cut out any programs as a whole," she said. "But it's getting harder and harder."

Calls to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's office about the state's decision to cut youth funding weren't returned.

Sixteen private agencies, from the Boys & Girls Club of Suffolk County to the Atlantic Boxing Club of Shirley, saw Brookhaven funding reduced this year. Representatives from some of the agencies said they have had to reduce hours, staff and services as a result.

"It definitely cuts back our staffing, it cuts back our ability to provide counseling," said Tracie Van Dina, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Bellport."A lot of kids need somewhere to go, need some kind of support."

Youth service providers across Long Island are struggling with the state cutbacks, some compounded by additional cuts from local governments. In Mineola, dozens of youth program advocates and Nassau Legislature Democrats in April accused Nassau Executive Edward Mangano of planning to cut $1.1 million from the county's $6.2 million budget for contract agencies. At the time, Mangano dismissed the protest as "drama" and cited the need to control spending.

Brookhaven approved its cuts in funding to youth programs on June 28. Councilman Daniel Panico called the decision "a dark cloud hanging over the building."

Valerie Biscardi, the town's commissioner of housing and human services, said the future is even bleaker as more state cuts are expected."Next summer you might see a substantial cut to programs," she said. "These agencies are counting on this money."