$5 million for animal shelter capital project and protecting how mental health services are delivered in New York State. These are what Communication Services helped deliver for our clients in this year’s state budget process.
Communication Services runs the New York State Animal Protection Federation, the organization that represents all the animal shelters in New York. For the second year in a row, we were successful in getting $5 million into the budget for the Companion Animal Capital Fund. This first-in-the-nation program was conceived by our President and Strategist-in-Chief Libby Post, who also serves as Executive Director of the Federation.
Working with Assemblywoman Deborah Glick (D-NYC) and State Senator Phil Boyle (R-Suffolk County), Post took the Federation’s message to the legislature–29 shelters applied for over $13 million in funding for the FY17-18 RFP process. The need is there and new funding is critical to the capital needs of shelters. $5 million in new funding was included in the state’s FT18-19 budget.
Communication Services also worked with a coalition of 12 mental health organizations to protect the way mental health services are delivered in New York State. Communication Services developed The Campaign for New York’s Well-Being.
Using a combination of the campaign’ s website, video, social media and press coverage, Communication Services was able to generate over 3,600 emails through CQ Rollcall’s Ignite online advocacy program. This outreach coupled with the work of the 12 coalition members that represented over 500 mental health providers across New York protected how mental health service delivery and the workforce the mental health system counts on.
