Connecticut Charities Lobby for Social-Services Aid

Social-services groups in Connecticut are pleading with the state legislature to award them a 12-percent cost-of-living adjustment in state funds over the next two years, reports the Hartford Courant.

Local Meals on Wheels programs, day-care centers, halfway houses, and numerous substance-abuse and domestic-violence programs that receive state aid say they need more money to pay increasing overhead costs for heat, electricity, and insurance.

The Connecticut Association of Nonprofits and the Connecticut Community Providers Association say the additional money would also help the charities retain staff members, who they say are paid considerably less than their state counterparts in similar jobs.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s proposed $35.7-billion budget for the next two fiscal years does not include any money for a cost-of-living adjustment for these providers. Instead, the governor has earmarked $17-million for a “low-wage pool” to help bring lower-paid nonprofit employees up to a more competitive pay level.