Faced with an $11-billion budget deficit, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed 2011 state budget includes some deep and painful cuts. One of the programs in the cross-hairs is the Ujima Urban Women Center, a program that keeps women out of prison and helps find them jobs.
Come June 30, the state’s $95,000 aid grant to the center based in Trenton, N.J., will be yanked, leaving hundreds of at-risk women, including ex-offenders and victims of domestic violence, out in the cold.
Kim Copeland, the center’s executive director, believes the decision to eliminate the program is short-sighted and could ultimately end up costing New Jersey taxpayers up to $2 million in the long run.
