The Coalition Announces Town Hall Meetings to Highlight Service Losses in North Carolina
Posted: 02-16-2010 : RALEIGH, N.C.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Coalition, a statewide group of 35 organizations and their members advocating in partnership to meet the needs of North Carolinians living with mental illness, developmental disabilities, or the disease of addiction, has announced a series of town hall meetings in March and April. The purpose is to call attention to the devastating effect the loss of state funding is having on individuals and families receiving or seeking services, organizations that provide services to people with developmental disabilities, substance abuse, or mental illness, and North Carolinians who are employed by those who provide these services.

These listening sessions will occur in Greenville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Asheville, Fayetteville and Durham. Jennifer Mahan, Chair of The Coalition, stated that “All too often the voices of those with addictive disease, developmental disabilities and mental illness are forgotten in the budget debate. This is an opportunity for people across North Carolina to tell their stories about how services have made their lives livable and how the budget cuts are hurting them.”

The first Town Hall will take place on March 1 in Greenville at Pitt Community College in the Fulford Building, Room 153 located at the intersection of Highway 11 and Firetower Road. This will be followed by one in Charlotte on March 15th at the McLeood Center at 515 Clanton Road. All meetings will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 PM with the doors opening at 6 and the program starting at 6:30. Participants will hear a briefing on the current budget cuts and the future budget outlook, have an opportunity to share their opinions in person, in writing or online and get updated information on how to make a difference on these issues. The Coalition encourages anyone affected by the budget cuts or concerned about future cuts to MHDDSA services to attend these Town Halls.

A full list of Town Hall dates and sites and additional information on The Coalition can be found on the organization’s website at www.thecoalitionnc.org