Funding for Wynona's House Restored

Three weeks after Gov. Chris Christie cut off more than half a million dollars in funding to an Essex County child abuse center, he returned to Newark Monday and met with county officials to announce that the funding for Wynona's Househas been restored.

Christie joined with Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. Monday afternoon to announce the 75 percent of funds that were cut by the state would be replaced with federal funding, allowing the center to stay open.

"When we tell Joe, or any other office holder in this state, that we're going to do something, we're good to our word," said Christie.

The governor said though he cut 75 percent of the funding to the center, he knew the state Dept. of Children and Families was working "aggressively" to replace the state funding with federal aid.

"Those people who continue to talk about this, saying we don't care about sexually abused children and families … were purely playing crass politics," said Christie. "They knew that we had said right from July 1 … that there would be no interruption or diminution of services."

Christie announced Monday afternoon, addressing rumors the child abuse treatment center would be forced to shutter after $537,000 in funding was vetoed by the governor on June 30.

Christie, a Republican, spoke in the Essex County freeholders chambers, in front of a group of officials who were primarily Democrats, and refuted claims that he didn’t care about physically and sexually abused children.

"While there were many who decided to carry on about the fact that somehow this … administration didn't care about children or families who suffer from this type of problem, that was absolutely incorrect," said Christie. "There was never any doubt in my mind from the minute I took that action that we wouldn't keep the Wynona Lipman House exactly in the same condition that it was in on June 30."

DiVincenzo, who was one of a handful of Essex County legislators to reach out to Christie as he vacationed for two weeks, said the governor's administration promised early on that the cuts would not mean a reduction in services at Wynona's House.

"Two weeks later, he's back from vacation and he fulfilled his commitment once again to Essex County," said DiVincenzo, calling Wynona House a "role model" for New Jersey.

Keri Logosso-Misurell, executive director of Wynona's House, said she remained "cautiously optimistic," while DiVincenzo worked as a liaison for the center and the governor's administration in recent weeks. Logosso-Misurell said although she received assurance last week Wynona's House would be funded, Christie's formal announcement Monday served as much-needed clarity to the situation.

"We were on the ground and really knowing black and white. Seeing the cut, we were very concerned," Logosso-Misurell told Patch, saying families treated at the center were  inquiring about the slash in funding. "I'll take him (Christie) at his word because at the end of the day, there was funding to continue services."

The nonprofit center, located at 185 Washington St., serves Essex County children and families by working with law enforcement and child protection, medical and mental health agencies to investigate, prosecute and treat child abuse victims. The center is named after Wynona M. Lipman, the first African-American New Jersey State Senator who died in 1999.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker Tuesday expressed his support of the center, which serves as a save haven for abused children.

"It's one of the more incredible nonprofits in the city," said Booker, calling Wynona's House a "place of love, help and hope."

"I'm very happy that the funding from the federal government can be applied to that house and hopefully end the crisis they were facing last week."

The $537,000 in funding to Wynona's House was part of $1.3 billion in budget line items Christie vetoed June 30 as part of eleventh-hour reductions he said he was forced to make in a matter of hours to close the budget gap.

Wynona's House is one of four of its kind in New Jersey, according to Christie, who said he supported the creation of the Deirdre's House in Morristown when he served as Morris County freeholder in the 1990s.

The other three centers, however, are almost entirely funded by the county or privately, while Wynona's House is the only center to have a dedicated line item in the state budget. Christie vowed his administration would continue to seek private philanthropy to fund Wynona's House.

Securing alternative means of funding is important as ever, according to Logosso-Misurell. In 2010, Wynona's House treated 660 children, 273 from Newark. Already this year, from January to June, the center has treated 323 children, 154 from Newark and seven from West Orange. Seventy-six percent of total cases recorded by the center this year have been sexual abuse.

"This experience underscores the need for us to be more independent of state funding in general so that we are more stable as an organization," said Logosso-Misurell, mentioning fundraising meetings with local foundations and larger corporations are already in the works. "This is now the springboard to our most aggressive fundraising campaign."