The importance of human services

They keep Pennsylvanians working and hold families together

They are visiting North Park near their home in McCandless and they head straight to the playground. Max and Jack Cieply bring the place to life with laughter as they race between swing set and slide. Their dad, Zach, manages to find enough energy at the end of his workday to chase after them as their mom, Danielle, looks on.

Danielle takes in the scene as a wonderful moment of normalcy for their young family that she and Zach, in the first several years of Max’s life, could not have imagined unfolding. Now 7, Max is mercifully unaware of his medical ordeals as an infant — three open heart surgeries, the removal of a tumor on his spine and gastro-intestinal issues.

On the opposite side of Pennsylvania, in Warminster, about an hour’s drive north of Philadelphia, Lynn Plewes manages the comings and goings of her husband, Len, and her children, Emily, 26; Sarah, 23; and Anthony, 16. Theirs is a family moving forward in many ways, including the fact that Emily is heading off to college in Florida this fall. Lynn is amazed that her family has reached such a milestone after years of near-paralyzing worry and financial stress over both daughters’ mental health issues.

Danielle and Lynn do not know one another, but they share a deep conviction that state-funded human services have helped keep their families viable, stable and productive.

And both are angry at the prospect that the services they received might not be available to other hard-working families in Pennsylvania. Those services may be reduced or eliminated as state legislators and the governor negotiate the next budget.

With the state facing a $3 billion deficit, providers of essential human services are preparing for significant cuts, and several million Pennsylvania families who depend on them are fearing the worst. That is why we, as leaders of community philanthropies deeply engaged in funding essential human services, have developed #FamilyFirstPA, a statewide campaign to let legislators and Gov. Tom Wolf know that vital human services must remain a priority in the next budget.

Leaders in nearly every sector of life across the state are making this case with our state officials. But the most convincing voices are those of Pennsylvanians — such as Danielle and Lynn — who know how human services have made the difference between their families making it or not.

For Lynn, crucial assistance came in the form of comprehensive services for Emily, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a child, and Sarah, who has autism and intellectual disabilities. Funding covered medication, testing, doctors, hospitals, treatment and, eventually, counseling for the entire family.

For Danielle, the health-restoring services for Max provided through state funding included physical, occupational, hearing and speech therapies, and a dietician. Without them, she says, “We wouldn’t be here. None of us would be here.”

The Cieply and Plewes families are typical of those receiving essential services. And we all are connected to families like them who must deal with crises they cannot manage on their own — a mental or physical health disability, debilitation from aging, too little income to afford life’s basics, and opioid and other additions, to name a few. State-funded programs and services enable them to maintain control of their lives, to take care of their own and earn a living. Without those services, absenteeism at work increases, productivity decreases and employers lose millions of dollars.

A recent study by the American Association of Retired Persons Public Policy Institute determined that one in six full-time employees cares for an elderly or disabled family member, and seven in 10 have had to quit a job, reduce work hours or juggle multiple work schedules to meet their care responsibilities.

Danielle and Lynn offer convincing testimony that state government investments in families to keep them viable and productive makes economic sense for taxpayers. Every day, additional witnesses join them. But the benefits extend well beyond those in need. By preserving essential human services, state officials preserve a decent quality of life for all of us.

If you agree, write, call, tweet or email your state legislators and the governor. Tell them to safeguard human services in the budget negotiations.

To read more stories of working Pennsylvanians who rely on human services, go to www.familyfirstpa.org or find the campaign on Facebook and Twitter.