October 11, 2011 | Read Time: 1 minute
Deep budget cuts for the New Jersey agency that aids Latino immigrants are squeezing services at nonprofit groups that rely largely on state money, according to The Daily Journal of Vineland, N.J.
Gov. Chris Christie’s administration has cut state aid to the Center for Hispanic Policy, Research, and Development from $3.3-million in fiscal 2010 to $1.18-million in the current budget. The number of groups receiving grants from the center declined to 24 from about three dozen in years past.
Servicios Latinos de Burlington County, which helps Hispanics and other immigrants make the transition to life in America, lost a third of its state grant for citizenship preparation and eliminated a substance-abuse program for youths but is maintaining some services by relaying more on volunteers.
“We appreciate what funding we do receive and we’re hoping things improve, but you have to minimize services and be creative by using the community and churches to help fulfill needs,” said Angela Mateo Gonzalez, a native of the Dominican Republic who founded Servicios Latinos in 2000. “We really stretch our money.”
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