Budget cuts impact local homeless teens

LYNN – The latest round of budget cuts to come from the office of Gov. Deval Patrick will make life even tougher for thousands of homeless teen parents trying to get their lives back in order.Due to cuts in the Department of Early Education and Care budget, children in homeless families whose parents do not qualify through the state’s welfare program on the basis of work-related activities will not be allowed to enroll in the DEEC after Oct. 1.The cuts mean thousands of teen parents hoping to find childcare so they can return to school or work will not have access to the state program.Current enrollees in the program will not lose benefits, but more than 800 children of teen parents who drew services from a separate $3.4 million account for those who did not qualify for care under the Department of Transitional Assistance standards will, according to published reports.The department will continue to funnel money to eligible families through the Lynn Shelter Association.This cut could be particularly harsh in large urban communities such as Lynn, where the number of homeless families is continuously fluctuating, but always high.Figures released by the city earlier this year estimated that there were 800 students identified as homeless in the Lynn Public Schools and the Lynn Shelter Association identified 94 families with 151 children involved in their programs.Officials estimate that the number of homeless children in Lynn could be even higher, given the number of families who temporarily stay with relatives or in motels and never officially report as being homeless.Although there are several options for homeless families with children to get care in the city, the lack of available spots in the DEEC programs will likely still have a large impact on several local families.Starting last November the state began restricting access to education and care services for income-eligible families due to the state’s economic woes. According to a letter from the DEEC, the program’s account “encountered” a $25 million deficit in the current fiscal year, resulting in another cut back of services.Local homeless shelters and non-profits also took a hit earlier this year when Patrick sliced local aid to Massachusetts cities and towns through 9C cuts.In all, the state’s budget crisis has attacked many human services programs, including AIDS prevention programs and emergency food assistance, while Patrick continues to search for ways to meet his elusive revenue benchmarks.Until now, the DEEC has been a haven for families that did not meet welfare eligibility standards, helping roughly 3,000 children receive care and education, according to state officials.DEEC Commissioner Sherri Killins encouraged her colleagues to refer the affected families to local Head Start organizations, which exist in Lynn under the umbrella of Lynn Economic Opportunity.Aside from the obvious disadvantages for children who do not receive early childhood care, the cuts will also prevent teen parents from returning to school, forcing them to drop out and, in turn, making it more difficult to find employment and turn their families lives around.”We are particularly concerned about the cuts right at this time, because this is the time that teen parents are looking for care so they can re-enter school,” Patricia Quinn, executive director of the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy, told the State House News Service. “Those teens have really two choices at this point, and that is welfare or not returning to high school, and I think in the long-term that is going to do a lot more damage (to them) than a savings will do (to help) us.”In her letter, Killins said the department chose the Oct. 1 cutoff so that parents could still take advantage of the program before heading back to school.When announcing the cuts, Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray did indicate that the administration is looking toward disbursing $45 million in federal homelessness prevention funds, which could include day