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Legislators say budget cuts are necessary. But behind the numbers are actual people who will be affected. The people involved in one program say any cuts, especially now, are going to be devastating.
There is no doubt these are tough times. The Utah Highway Patrol is facing cuts. So are other state programs, such as child care and substance abuse. In fact, the Odyssey House, which helps hundreds of people a year with substance abuse issues, may have to cut some programs.
Former drug addict J.D. Gibson said, "I was close to death, but I got lucky, extremely lucky."
If there was ever a poster child for the positive results of a substance abuse program, Gibson is it. "I'm a heroin addict. I was mixing substances pretty much every day. I was stealing every day to support my habit," he said.
Now, after spending about a year at the Odyssey House in Salt Lake City, Gibson has been clean for 320 days. In fact, he's even looking forward to a future that he didn't think about before.
"You hear about this with other programs, but this place saved my life, hands down," he told us.
Eric Schmidt, the executive director of the Odyssey House, said, "We really help people turn their lives around." He says the programs work.
The Odyssey House is a place where people who are addicted to drugs or other vices can go for help. The programs are tough. Long-term care can last two years.
"We know if we keep clients longer, their chances of long-term success after treatment is much higher," Schmidt explained.
But with talks about possible funding cuts for state substance abuse programs, Schmidt, like those who run other programs, knows he may have to cut back on help. State funding makes up about 50 percent of the Odyssey House's budget.
"There are going to be Odyssey House programs that exist today that probably won't be here in the future," he said.
A short-term youth program may be one that has to be cut. It's a program similar to the one that Gibson credits for saving his life.
"I feel like more money needs to be invested into long-term treatment because you can see the results," Gibson said.
Of course, it won't be an easy decision for lawmakers to make any cuts. The Odyssey House doesn't want to see any cuts, but says it's prepared to deal with them as best as it can.
E-mail: acabrero@ksl.com
