New Jersey Department of Human Services Commissioner Gwendolyn L. Harris said today the budget proposal outlined by Republican leaders this week would hurt the state's efforts to make improvements at the Division of Youth and Family Services, slow down the plan to increase community services for people with mental illness, and threaten federal certification at state institutions for people with developmental disabilities.

"If this budget proposal is enacted,  it would deliver a major blow to the work we are trying to do at the department to transform child protective services and improve care for people with mental illness and developmental disabilities," said Commissioner Harris.

Proposed cuts in capital funding  said Harris, will threaten the implementation of the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS) which is key element of the DYFS Transformation plan.

"I am deeply troubled that the cut in capital funding will have threatened this long overdue and critical component of the DYFS Reform effort," Harris said.

The $5 million cut in the Redirection Two plan eliminates some funds necessary to develop community residential programs and related support services necessary for more than 300 patients being discharged from state psychiatric hospitals. This cut would mean the department could not expand community mental health services aimed at reducing unnecessary hospital admissions and alleviating overcrowding at state hospitals.

The 10 percent cut in non-salary direct state services would directly impact training of staff, the use of medical specialists and replacing outdated medical equipment at the state's developmental centers. That would damage the department's continuing efforts to improve care for residents of developmental centers and endanger federal certification and funding of the centers.

"Overall, I am concerned this budget proposal would have a serious impact on department programs and would jeopardize critical services," Harris said.