Programs to help the needy will be cut

Social-service programs for some of the neediest Washingtonians would not escape cuts under Gov. Christine Gregoire's state budget.

And those proposed reductions would be magnified because many programs are tied to federal matching dollars, which also would go away.

Although it is not tied to federal funding, one of the biggest proposed cuts is the elimination of the General Assistance-Unemployable program (GA-U), with a price tag of $160 million. The program provides up to $339 a month, plus health-care coverage, to some 21,000 people who the state has found are temporarily unable to work.

"This is really the poorest of the poor," said Robin Zukoski, a lawyer with Columbia Legal Services. "By the time you qualify for GA-U, there is no money in the bank, there are no resources."

Department of Social and Health Services Secretary Robin Arnold-Williams acknowledged the cuts will be difficult, but noted the governor also has proposed increases for food pantries and emergency housing to help mitigate the losses.

The proposed budget also would cut reimbursement rates for nursing homes, mental-health agencies and other service providers.

In general, the Children's Administration, which focuses on abuse and neglect cases, escaped the budget knife, the agency's director said.

Maureen O'Hagan: 206-464-2562 or mohagan@seattletimes.com

Information in this article, originally published December 19, 2008, was corrected December 19, 2008. A previous version of this story incorrectly implied that the General Assistance-Unemployable program, which provides assistance to people who can't work, is tied to federal funding. In fact, GA-U is funded only with state dollars.