Nassau's fraying safety net
Sandy Olivia, foreground, executive director of the Coaltion Against Domestic Violence and Cynthia Scott, executive director of the Coalition Against Child Abuse and Neglect, are desperately trying to find funding so they can continue to help those in need of their services. They are show at The Safe Place in Bethpage. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
Social service agencies that provide critical programs to Nassau County residents are not getting reimbursed in return. So they will turn to the TV cameras in frustration on Tuesday. The heads of these agencies, as well as some of the influential Long Islanders who serve on their boards, will hold a news conference to detail how the Mangano administration is holding up millions of dollars in payments for programs including mental health treatment, hunger relief and domestic violence. In many cases, the county is indefensibly holding on to the funds New York State provides to cover the costs; that's the case with the $1 million owed the Mental Health Association for the first half of the year.
These services are the fabric of the county's social safety net for its neediest residents. Providing them is not just vital, it's mandated by law.
