Credit: (Latino Action Network)The current state budget proposal would slash funding for New Jersey’s Hispanic Women’s Resource Centers by 75%, the Latino Action Network says, forcing it to close centers and reduce services at others unless the Legislature allocates more money.
The six centers across the state provide English classes, job services, mental health care and more to several thousand Latinas across all income levels and immigration statuses. Two centers in Passaic and Vineland, which both recently opened in areas with limited services, would have to shut down, the group says.
These centers are fully funded by the state after the Legislature established them in 1991. Last year, Gov. Phil Murphy proposed providing them with around $2 million, which lawmakers increased to $4 million in the final budget. This year, Murphy is recommending just over $1 million, which creates a $3 million funding gap for the Legislature to address.
This funding swing highlights how the fate of grassroots organizations that rely on state funding hangs in the balance every spring while the state budget is negotiated. Lawmakers are now reviewing the budget, and are likely to make changes, changes that often include additional spending, before their deadline of July 1. Latino Action Network says it hasn’t seen a cut this large since former Gov. Chris Christie took away its funding in 2010.
“This is our annual battle, is to make sure that this funding is included in the budget,” said Jesselly De La Cruz, the executive director at Latino Action Network.
De La Cruz said that their funding allocation, which they already stretch to keep six centers running, is just a drop in the record-high $56 billion state budget. And the cut comes at a time when the demand for the centers has grown; they served 209 people in 2016 and serve over 4,000 today.
‘Contributing to the economy’
“Very few social programs can actually demonstrate how what you put out (in) whatever taxes or public funding comes back into the economy. So outside of the Hispanic Women’s Resource Center, I really can’t think of another program that directly works at putting people back into contributing to the economy,” De La Cruz said.
The Hispanic Women’s Resource Centers connect Latinas to jobs, financial literacy training, job readiness training, therapy, domestic and sexual violence help, childcare, immigration services, English classes and more. A 2023 Rutgers University study called for the state to put more funding into the centers because of the economic need. The report said Latinas in New Jersey face one of the worst wage gaps in the country, and programs like this help close the gap.
De La Cruz said her organization did its own study last year where every Latina they surveyed said that learning English was the “primary step to bridging the wealth gap to having a job and making money,” which is a service the centers provide. English language classes at other agencies can be more difficult to access, she said, because the staff are either not culturally sensitive or the hours don’t suit clients’ job schedules.
“So why would you cut a service that is the biggest complaint about immigrant communities — that they don’t speak the language,” De La Cruz said.
De La Cruz noted that Latino Action Network already fought for funding throughout the Christie administration after Christie cut it from his state budget in 2010. Christie reinstated the funding in 2017 but only allotted $250,000 for the organization, which was about half of what it was receiving from the state previously.
When Murphy took office, he maintained the same level of funding for his first two budget proposals, but steadily increased his recommendation to $2 million in last year’s budget.
The Murphy administration supports organizations like the Latino Action Network, and its “proposed Fiscal Year 2025 Budget prioritizes balancing the responsibility of spending within our means — while stretching every dollar to lift up our neighbors in need,” spokesperson Natalie Hamilton said in a statement.
“The Governor’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget supports initiatives that are crucial to LAN’s mission including an additional $100m provide health insurance to children in need under the Cover All Kids program, $30 million for providing free school meals to 60,000 additional children, and increases funding for New Jersey’s public schools by more than $900 million, among other initiatives,” she said.
Budget process
Governors often first propose lower amounts for some programs with an understanding that state legislators will likely increase funding for causes important to them — or for their pet projects. Even then, there’s no guarantee what the final number will be.
Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (D-Union) was the main sponsor of a budget resolution last year that increased funding for the Hispanic Women’s Resource Centers to $4 million. Quijano’s office declined to comment because “it is premature to discuss specifics as we believe it’s crucial to let the budget process play out naturally,” a spokesperson said.
At a Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee hearing on March 19, senators from both parties appeared complimentary of the centers and acknowledged that the work they carry out is critical.
“[Latino Action Network’s] Hispanic Women’s Centers serve thousands of Latinas across the State. These centers are a cornerstone for many women in all areas of New Jersey and help to enhance economic outcomes with their services,” Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), who has long been a champion of Latinas’ rights in the state, later told NJ Spotlight News.
“While there has been progress thanks to organizations like [Latino Action Network], Latinas still face many barriers to economic and social equality. Latinas represent nearly 10% of the state’s workforce but still struggle with low wages and lack of access to child care. Fighting to get more funding for these centers must be a priority this budget session,” she added.
De La Cruz said she would continue fighting for more funding over the next few months while the budget is finalized. For Joceline Ortiz, who runs one of the centers in Vineland that would have to close, the funding cut would be “detrimental” after they’ve been able to help so many women over the last year in an area with no services.
“Sometimes [Latinas in New Jersey] don’t feel like they have that voice, and they don’t have anyone to care to speak up for them. And so programs like this is what helps us to continue to encourage and empower our community,” Ortiz said.
— John Reitmeyer contributed reporting.
