NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Criminal justice and mental health advocates are trying to figure out a path forward now that the St. Tammany Parish Council has approved a budget that includes significant spending cuts. The St. Tammany coroner also says it will continue to pursue legal action to get funds it says it is entitled to.
Mental health advocates say the Safe Haven campus near Mandeville, which services a variety of mental health needs on the Northshore, is in jeopardy.
“Extremely disappointed. Safe Haven is doing an incredible job,” said NAMI board member Dave “Doc” Mancina.
Last week, the St. Tammany council approved a $202 million budget that included a $620,000 cut to Safe Haven, a campus that houses the National Alliance on Mental Illness and helps hundreds of adults and adolescents with mental health needs in a parish where the demand is high.
“The suicide rate in St. Tammany is 18% above the state average,” Safe Haven Foundation member Jack Donahue told the council.
NAMI board members are uncertain about the future of a chapter that was expanded when the Southeast Louisiana hospital was shut down during the Jindal administration.
If the campus closes, several agencies will be impacted, including a school board facility for students, as well as Florida Parishes Human Services, which helps those with addictions.
“What happens to the $14 million in federal grants that we have at Safe Haven…the $20,000 a month that the school board pays, the $20,000 paid by Florida Parishes?” Donahue said.
Safe Haven advocates are not the only Northshore agencies concerned about the cuts. The St. Tammany coroner is pursuing legal action, and the district attorney faces a 30% cut in the year ahead under the new budget.
“We’re going to have three times less investment for public safety. And the DA’s office and the judges are even worse. You can’t sustain what they’re proposing,” said Washington-St. Tammany DA Collin Sims.
Parish officials say they are committed to finding ways to meet citizen needs in the year ahead.
“Our citizens have peaked out and maximized their capacity for paying taxes, and we know the burden is on us—not just parish government, but each and every taxing district has an obligation,” said Parish President Mike Cooper.
Parish officials are now looking at ways to perhaps cut some budgets while expanding others.
“We will be meeting shortly to evaluate and start the process, but that will be longer term,” Cooper said.
But the path forward is not clear.
“The need is greater than ever, and we’re talking about shutting that facility for a small portion of the budget, and it’s literally saved lives,” Donahue said.
The sheriff’s office also faces cuts and has threatened to pull security from the parish courthouse and other buildings. The sheriff set a meeting for tomorrow to try to work out a solution with other parish stakeholders.
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