Schools

Pelham Guidance Council Slated to Lose $180,000 in State Funding

The PGC recently learned that the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services will eliminate the organization's main funding source on July 1.

The Pelham Guidance Council recently found out that it may not get the $181,473 in state funding that the organization relies on to thrive.

The Pelham Guidance Council, a local drug and alcohol prevention agency, subsists heavily on the state funding it receives from the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services in order to provide its counseling and extra-curricular activities to Westchester residents. The only other money the organization gets is from the Town of Pelham and minimal counseling fees. However, the PGC recently learned that the state may not renew its funding next year because it did not meet its performance target, a conclusion that the PGC said was based on incorrect data.

“According to [the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services], we were 1 percent below the target, but in actuality, we were 36 percent above,” said Cheryl Bobe, Executive director of the PGC. Bobe said she pointed out the flawed data and that the officials recognized their error, but still refused to reinstate the funding.

“They’ve agreed that the data was wrong,” Bobe noted. “They said that they stand corrected. They said, ‘Sorry, the letters have gone out, we’re not reversing our decisions.’”

Representatives from the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services were not available for comment.

The target numbers are based on a series of performance data, including the number of clients the organization counsels.

The PGC said it already runs its programs on a pretty tight budget and doesn’t have many frills to cut. In addition to offering one-on-one and family counseling, the PGC is involved with PACT, a local organization that aims to embolden youth to make healthful choices. The PGC also works with Youth to Youth, a program that offers fun activities for teens to help keep them from turning to drugs. The organization also runs Kids Helping Kids, yet another endeavor that teaches youngsters the importance of staying sober through interactive plays and other events. Even with all of its programming, the organization manages to keep costs low, by sticking to the basics. When the Kids Helping Kids high school group performed “The Lizard of Odd,” a play about bullying, some of the costumes used were as simple as trash bags.

“We don’t have a huge budget as it is,” Bobe said.

The PGC has pleaded with community members to write letters to their governors and to the Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services, asking that the decision be reversed. The organization is also working closely with the Westchester Department of Community Health, which is responsible for dispensing the funding from the state.

“The Pelham Guidance Council is an integral part of our substance abuse prevention system,” remarked Dahlia Austin, Director for drug and alcohol services at the Westchester Department of Community Health. “We would work with Pelham to identify other funding. We would need to try to brainstorm. We can’t promise anything, but we’re willing to work with them, to  explore other options.”

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