In order for this country to fight a war and not raise taxes, social services have become the number one target of our government budget battles.  It is absolutely important that every individual and family who receives SSI or SSDI, Medicaid, or Community Mental Health services contact their legislators in Congress, Lansing, and our local county commissioners and let them know how important these benefits are to maintaining a healthy, dignified, and modest life. 

Here are resources for finding the latest information about what Congress and Lansing are doing with your benefits:

State benefits: Check http://www.arcmi.org/public_policy.htm for information about the state of your benefits in Michigan and The Arc Michigan’s legislative efforts.

National (federal) benefits:  The Arc U.S. and United Cerebral Palsy maintain a joint legislative information page, which includes a tool for finding your local and state representatives, at:

http://capwiz.com/thearc/home/

The Coalition on Human Needs http://www.chn.org/ is an excellent resource for information on all public policies that address the needs of low-income and other vulnerable people.  Their e-mail newsletters provide accurate, up to the minute information about bills before Congress that may impact benefits, and instructions for how your personal contact with legislators can influence legislation. 

Another good resource for information on public policy is The Law, Health Policy & Disability Center at http://disability.law.uiowa.edu/ .

United We Ride, http://www.unitedweride.gov/, provides information on public transit issues.  In Kent County, Concerned Citizens for Improved Transit (CCIT) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ccitkentcounty/ advocates for local transit services. 

Locally, there is a lot that you can do to make your voice heard.  network180, www.network180.org,  (Kent County Community Mental Health) provides most benefits for individuals with developmental disabilities in Kent County.  The network180 board meets the first Monday of every month at 5:30, usually at the network180 offices at 728 Fuller NE.  Members of the network180 Board, particularly those who sit on the Kent County Board of Commissioners, are good contacts for educating our local community mental health services about your concerns.  The members are listed at http://www.accesskent.com/YourGovernment/BOC/commis_members.htm