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State Budget Cuts Hurt Pacific Pride Foundation
After having its budget slashed 65 percent, the Pacific Pride Foundation is turning to the community for help in funding its HIV/AIDS services.
Catastrophic cuts from the state level hurt PPF, so it’s counting on as much as it can get from struggling county and city budgets, in addition to community fundraising.
In the past month, California lost $82 million in HIV/AIDS programs funding, which is reminiscent of 1989 levels, PPF Executive Director David Selberg said. While PPF had only 37 HIV/AIDS clients then, it now has 590 to serve with the same amount of funding.
In a town hall Wednesday night at the Louise Lowry Davis Recreation Center, PPF staff members and the community talked about ways to “channel our anger” to find solutions to the cuts, as board chairman Mark Asman said.
PPF already has gone through drastic cuts to staff and services in order to stay afloat, including laying off half of its staff and eliminating oral-swab rapid testing. Now, the only option in the Tri-County area is to go through the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department and have a blood test, which takes two weeks for results vs. 20 to 40 minutes.
“A lot of folks that we’re testing struggle with mental illness, struggle with homelessness, substance abuse, so the ability to come back two weeks later with their slip hinders the ability to do HIV test care and education,” Selberg said.
Eleven of the organization’s 24 staff members were immediately laid off when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his cuts, in order to avoid the organization going bankrupt, Selberg said.
Janice Griffin, a nurse case manager with 64 clients, was let go, in addition to four case managers, social workers, food pantry workers, volunteer coordinator J.B. Bowlin, therapists and HIV test counselors.
In addition to staff cuts, the food pantry’s food bills have been cut, offices are being downsized and thrice-yearly testing at UCSB have been canceled.
To keep the “bare bones” of core programs going, PPF needs $256,000 from Santa Barbara County, which leaves more than $224,000 to get from grants and donations. Letter-writing campaigns to the county Board of Supervisors, including 2nd District Supervisor Janet Wolf, who was in attendance, are an attempt to get a $50,000 grant from the county’s general fund as well.
Local elected officials in attendance pledged their support to HIV/AIDS programs.
“Whatever we can do as a county to help, we are there, because it is for the health and welfare and the well-being of our great community, and we really have to come together for this,” Wolf said.
The city of Santa Barbara also funds local HIV/AIDS programs. When the City Council reviews its budget next week, a lot of tough decisions will have to be made, Councilwoman Helene Schneider said.
For years, the City Council has given more than $700,000 from its general fund money into human services grants. When most organizations saw that funding get cut by 8.3 percent last year, PPF’s share was not cut, she said.
Councilman Das Williams said the state cuts were unacceptable. “There will be people that will die because of this,” he said. “California has sunk to a level of lack of humanity and civilization. Budgets are a statement of our morality.”
Since most state AIDS funding goes to larger cities (San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego), Selberg got eight midsize counties to do major letter writing and advocating to both the state Office of AIDS and Health and Human Services.
“Three weeks ago, we weren’t even on their radar,” he said. “Now, we’re at least getting the table scraps of 35 percent.”
Ventura’s AIDS programs are closed, and San Luis Obispo’s are in danger of going the same way, he said.
Asman started the meeting by explaining “how pissed off” he was, but said he would channel his anger into efforts to make this year’s AIDS Walk the biggest one yet.
At the meeting, PPF supporters outlined a number of ways in which community members can help support the programs. Organizers of the Oct. 3 AIDS Walk hope to raise $160,000, more than twice the amount it raised last year. Community members can join teams, pledge or volunteer to help the cause.
Another upcoming fundraising event is a rummage sale at 334 E. Arrellaga St. this weekend, for which donations and volunteers are still needed.
Since food bills have been cut, food, personal-care items and household items can be donated to either the Santa Maria or Santa Barbara PPF offices. Desperately needed items include juice, sports drinks, sugar, bar soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, mouthwash, laundry soap and paper towels.
Anyone who shops at Ralphs or Vons can register their cards online to have a percentage of purchases go to PPF, which brings in about $600 a year now and is no extra cost for shoppers.
As an incentive to fundraisers, some donors and corporations have offered large amounts of money if PPF can match them in fundraising efforts.
PPF also offers many services to the LGBT community, including education, counseling and discussion groups.
— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Comments
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» on 08.27.09 @ 02:25 AM
Channel you Anger? Gimme a break. How about being responsible for on’s own behaviour. This air of entitlement sickens me.
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» on 08.27.09 @ 06:31 AM
I’m tired of paying for sex change operations, gay social events, counseling (Am I gay? Trans? Bi? How do I know, for sure?), and having my kids indoctrinated that “gay is ok” in school. Let the gay community support itself and it’s agenda. If this were simply an organization to help those infected with HIV fine, but it isn’t. Instead of promoting a lifestyle that prevents it, it encourages a lifestyle that spreads it.
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» on 08.27.09 @ 06:36 AM
“For years, the City Council has given more than $700,000 from its general fund money into human services grants. When most organizations saw that funding get cut by 8.3 percent last year, PPF’s share was not cut, Schneider said.”
I had no idea.
Gee, I wonder how many NON-PREVENTABLE deadly diseases have been supported by the City. Do they contribute to heart disease? Cancer? Why is AIDs special? Oh that’s right, votes and political correctness..
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» on 08.27.09 @ 08:33 AM
Oh, the courage of anonymous commenting strikes again!
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» on 08.27.09 @ 09:39 AM
Kettle Black
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» on 08.27.09 @ 10:00 AM
I would love for John Q and “as it should..” to say this trash to my face. Would just love it.
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» on 08.27.09 @ 10:28 AM
Isn’t this type of organization/service something that should be supported by charitable donations rather than by the government taxing to fund it. After all there are many many more widespread diseases and illnesses that aren’t helped by the confiscation (i.e. taxation) of our funds.
It is time that people stopped to realize that we are overextending the ability of the citizenry to fund, by taxation, every project that comes along no matter how much it may seem important to certain members of society. This entitlement mentality, along with the government’s ability to confiscate resources through taxation, has much do with how the state and the country have gotten into the fiscal mess that we are currently experiencing.
Have we not learned any lessons here?
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» on 08.27.09 @ 11:15 AM
Thasnks for running this article…PPF is an excellent community resource…David Selberg is a dedicated crisis manager…community donors can be certain their dollars are being carefully spent to continue their unique services. Please support Pacific Pride.
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» on 08.27.09 @ 11:37 AM
Ken is the reason people leave anonymous comments - we don’t want to be victims of hate crimes from intolerant gay haters. Homophobic? Yeah you bet gay activists scare the bejesus out of me with their irrational “what’s mine is mine, what’s yours is mine” attitude.
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» on 08.27.09 @ 11:40 AM
We want to act as hedonistic and irresponsibly as we please, we want YOU to pay for the consequences, we want to indoctrinate others and your children to do the same, and we want YOU to pay for it.
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» on 08.27.09 @ 03:55 PM
Then you won’t need our money or the PP Foundation’s help. That’s my advice.
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» on 08.27.09 @ 03:58 PM
What are they so proud of?
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» on 08.27.09 @ 07:45 PM
Oh the misguided one speaks again.
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» on 08.27.09 @ 08:28 PM
700K from the City Budget for give-away programs?! Ironically, 700K is the additional amount the City wants the Police Department to cut from its budget which means more cops are going to be cut. How about making people be responsible for themselves and put the tax payers money where it should go - security and infrastructure? The City should cut all 700K of its give away money and keep police on the streets so we can deal with crime ... if someone wants to be tested for AIDS then they can go to the County clinic and wait however long it takes ... if they hadn’t been doing, whatever they were doing, that causes them to think that they might have AIDS then having to wait a little longer for a test result might be a good experience for them because maybe, just maybe, they might change their behavior and not find themselves in that situation again!! Personal responsibility needs to be encouraged.
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» on 08.28.09 @ 04:11 AM
* Main Entry: 1pride
* Pronunciation: \‘prid\
* Function: noun
* Etymology: Middle English, from Old English pry¯de, from prud proud — more at proud
* Date: before 12th century
1 : the quality or state of being proud: as a : inordinate self-esteem : conceit b : a reasonable or justifiable self-respect c : delight or elation arising from some act, possession, or relationship
2 : proud or disdainful behavior or treatment : disdain
3 a : ostentatious display b : highest pitch : prime
4 : a source of pride : the best in a group or class
5 : a company of lions
6 : a showy or impressive group <a >
(Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pride)
I just visited Pacific Pride’s main webpage and one of the links as you scroll to the bottom is to “gaywired”. When you click on that link there are some very sexually suggestive pictures.
OK, here is my two cents worth: Mark Asman is the board leader of Pacific Pride, as well as rector of Trinity Episcopal Church.
Let’s tie this in: Asman’s church proclaims itself to be a Christian church, while the Bible says very clearly that humility, not pride, is the key to the Kingdom. So here is a so-called man of God promoting pride, as well as an organization that promotes a lifestyle that is contrary to the book that is the theological basis of the church which he pastors. “Gay pride”, a metaphor for the gay lifestyle?...sure seems to be that way.
Another point: If someone dies of lung cancer and it is determined that smoking caused it, people would label the person a fool who should have quit smoking but when one dies of AIDS caused by sexually promiscuous behavior that person is celebrated. What is the difference between the two?...there is none. What has happened in both cases is that the people that died were addicted to self destructive behavior that led to their death. We should neither praise them, nor judge them yet here is a so called man of God who is doing nothing to discourage the promiscuous lifestyle that is killing so many people. (And how much $$$ is he making serving double duty as a pastor of a church as board leader of Pacific Pride?)
We know that California has been terribly mismanaged financially, and Pacific Pride—like so many other entities, is feeling the hit of budget cuts. I will not contest that they do some good things and that people will get hurt by these cuts, but if Pacific Pride, the Episcopal Church, Mark Asman, and other like minded entities would quit flipping off God and telling people that it’s OK to practice promiscuity all the while promoting the sense of sexual entitlement that they do, maybe less people would be dying of this awful disease in the first place.
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» on 08.28.09 @ 04:45 AM
I live with HIV and Mental Illness, it is the mental illness that troubles me more. Why I have blood drawn every three months opposed to every four months or six months is beyound me. I would say if the patient has FULL BLOWN AIDS then yes stick to same model, but if HIV patients with T-Cells 600-800 and undetectable viral loads, lets save the system money.
I’m outraged with Manhunt and Craiglist Ads that advertise BB Bare Back sex, Transmitting HIV is a FELONY, we need more laws banning any ad’s for BB sex, what’s wrong with people.
This problem is only going to get worse, squawk all you want, the Goverment doesn’t have the money. And the Private sector is also tighting there belts.
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» on 08.28.09 @ 07:13 AM
Money to help treat the individual with sickness? How much does the city spend to help treat those with cancer or other life threatening illneses? Money to help the PPF promote their agenda? I don’t think so.
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» on 08.29.09 @ 02:01 PM
That both people pictured have their HANDS OUT and upturned. Must be a matter of habit.
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» on 08.29.09 @ 02:11 PM
If anyone wants to know how disgusting the behaviour of the local gay community that PPF encourages and promotes and apologizes for just go here:
http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/search/cas/?query=m4m
And that’s just the “men”. We are supposed to pay for this??
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» on 08.29.09 @ 02:19 PM
I’m shopping at Albertson’s from now on. They don’t nag us about plastic bag usage either.
I can say pissed because the article does. Imagine a man of God saying “pissed”.
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» on 08.29.09 @ 02:20 PM
This is not about helping those with AIDs, it is about grabbing government money to fund the gay agenda.
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» on 08.29.09 @ 02:22 PM
“We all know that only gay people get AIDS”
We all know that PPF serves gay people only.
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» on 08.29.09 @ 02:23 PM
I wonder how the COX employees feel about the fundraising match? Other people’s money, other people’s money…
[Noozhawk’s note: Thanks for this series of comments. Now go find something else to do with the rest of your Saturday afternoon.]
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» on 08.29.09 @ 04:01 PM
This is exactly why Schneider should not be elected Mayor, and Das Williams should not be elected to State Assembly. . Activists like them seek public office and power because they think the causes that THEY thinks are important are the causes that WE should think are important, and they want to use OTHER PEOPLE’s MONEY and resources to subsidize and promote them.
I would prefer to keep my own resources so that I can support and promote the causes that *I* think are worthy and important using my OWN money. The role of government is public safety and infrastructure, not supporting causes, charities and agendas.
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» on 08.30.09 @ 07:12 AM
When did Noozhawk start making snied, smarta$$ remarks to it’s readers? Go do something else with your Saturday afternoon? How professional. Is that you MacFadyen?
[Noozhawk’s note: Which part of our Comments Ground Rules do you not understand?]
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» on 08.31.09 @ 03:21 AM
I would be interested to know what Asman’s salery is, and what the saleries are of those in the upper echalon of Pacific Pride. I say this because so often we see companies laying off lower-wage employees while the higher ones make much more than they need—so much to the point where if they cut there own pay they would be able to keep those employees who work on the front lines.
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