Protesters Rally Against Alameda County Budget Cuts
OAKLAND (KCBS) - The lunchtime crowd outside the Alameda County Social Services Building had to contend with the noisy chants of protesters who fear the elderly, poor and disabled may wind up homeless because of state and county budget cuts.
Several assistance programs took a beating from the budget Gov. Jerry Brown signed this week and Alameda County's latest spending plan.
Lisa Wrestler, a single mother who depends on CalWorks to feed her two children, said her family's monthly allotment went from $684 to less than $400 a month.
Even worse, she no longer has access to health insurance. "Us mothers need to stay healthy to take care of our children, so that's a big huge cut that I'm going to be feeling."
KCBS' Dave Padilla Reports:
Critical gaps like that the insurance issue facing Wrestler could be destabilizing for people in precarious situations because of the economy, said Boona Cheema, executive director of Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency, a non-profit that provides housing and job training programs.
"This needs to be a coordinated effort to really care for the poor people in our community and not just expect that somehow they're going to make it. Many are not going to make it."
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