2024 advocacy piece

15 New Jersey Must Provide Full Investment for All of New Jersey’s Children, Youth and Adults in FY2025 With Access to Appropriate Services, Individuals Have a Path to a Quality Life All of New Jersey’s diverse communities are experiencing mental health crises and high levels of substance use and overdose deaths. Each is worthy of investment in the services that offer paths to recovery and wellness. New Jersey’s FY2025 Budget can increase access to appropriate behavioral health services for all of its diverse vulnerable populations with reimbursement rates and contracts increased to match the cost of care. To further stabilize and strengthen the workforce, recruitment and retention bonuses and other incentives must also be provided, and funding made available for repairs and capital improvements to ensure safe environments for staff and individuals served. The FY2025 Budget should also ensure that gaps in the continuum of care for justice-involved individuals are not overlooked. Angelica was estranged from her children, homeless, without a job and suffering from addiction. She was able to get the help she needed to recover from addiction and turn her life around. “I was trying to escape my reality and I found that with drugs,” Angelica shared. “I just wanted to stop using drugs and alcohol. I needed someone who would give me structure.” Angelica had the motivation to get better and gained the guidance she needed at Eva’s Village. In addition to becoming sober, she secured employment and saved money. In fact, she got her own apartment and worked her way up to the position of restaurant manager. It is workers like those at Eva’s Village who help people to overcome addiction and mental health challenges and engage in meaningful employment, who are vital for maintaining recovery and experiencing a high quality of life. The challenge is ensuring access to these services for everyone who needs them. Full investment in behavioral health for all of New Jersey’s children, youth and adults must be achieved and legislation to ensure the sustainability of behavioral health care must be passed. Such legislation must acknowledge inflation’s annual impact on providers’ ability to maintain their program operations and workforce and subsequent capacity to serve. New Jersey’s diverse children, youth and adults are worthy of no less.