Politics & Government

Coalition for Human Services Meets to Discuss Needs of PW County, Manassas

Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park representatives joined together to speak to maintaining human services in tough budget times.

MONTCLAIR—The welfare and well-being of Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park residents was discussed at length Thursday, during a special luncheon hosted by the Prince William Area Coalition for Human Services.

The coalition is an organization comprised of representatives from local government and other agencies in the area who exchange ideas on how to solve social problems, while promoting organizational development.

Manassas Park Councilman Suhus Naddoni addressed luncheon attendees and shared information about the city’s amenities as well as its needs.

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While some municipalities have had to eliminate parks and recreations because of budget shortfalls, Manassas Park managed to build a brand new, state- of- the- art facility recreation facility, he said.

“We conduct a lot of different programs (through parks and recreation) … Manassas does not have a parks and recreation (department) but we can provide the services. Even the residents of Prince William County can come and use our services. Despite the fact of having a tough budget, we felt the need to do that,” Naddoni said.

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A large-scale law enforcement operation was conducted out of the new Manassas Park Police station, he said.

“In Manassas Park we are doing some long-term good things … the situation looks bright and in the last two years we’ve had to make some tough decisions and cut funding for human services, but the good news is that this year we are looking to increase that (funding.) We want to give back more to social services so that they, in turn, serve more of the community,” he said.

Manassas City Manager Larry Hughes also spoke at the luncheon and said that those in human services overcome remarkable challenges each day.

Things like homelessness and adult literacy are some of every day struggles, he said. 

“I was astounded when I learned that nearly 20 percent of our population (in Prince William County) is illiterate,” Hughes said.

Federal funding is going to change and there will be challenges with Medicare and Medicaid, he said.

In the coming years, there will be pressure for local government to put local money into Medicaid, he said.

Structural employment could become a larger problem, he said. The “new normal” unemployment rate could be seven percent instead of five percent, he added.

Food is another problem. There will be increases in food costs.  The price of soybeans is up because Russia is no longer exporting the product, Hughes said. The price of beef is up because there is a great demand for it in China, he said.

Water is going to become a major issue in Northern Virginia in the near future as the population grows, he said. 

“Historically we’ve been able to meet those challenges in a variety of ways. Probably the most powerful thing we have going for us is incredible community partnerships …  meetings like this are opportunities for you all to avoid duplicating things … working cooperatively, moving clients from place to place where they can get the most effective service,” he said.

Prince William County Executive Melissa Peacor said there is a lot to be positive about. This year, the budget is a little better in Prince William County, she said.

 “That light at the end of the tunnel is not a train, but may actually be a light,” Peacor said.

Peacor  said the Board of County Supervisors has been very supportive of human services; as the area of government that was cut the least was human services.

Some of the top things that happened in human services in Prince William County in 2010 are:

 1.      The health department provided free flu vaccines for every resident of Prince William County.

2.     Community services enrolled 300 clients in Medicare Part D

3.    The organization, SERVE, which stands for Securing Emergency Resources through Volunteer Efforts, provided food to 27,650 families in Prince William County

4.     Two new residences for persons with intellectual disabilities were built.

5.     The Section 8 waiting list was opened for the first time in several years.  

Andrea Saccoccia chairwoman of the Prince William Area Coalition for Human Services said that meetings like Thursday’s are held three times a year.

 “It’s an opportunity for human services to collaborate and share ideas so we can better serve the community, Saccoccia said.

 Furthermore, the meetings are a place to do business, as human services workers share clients and share stories, she added.

 The next luncheon will be on June 9 where several awards will be presented, she said.


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