News - Local mental health facility closing doors due to cuts in funding

After 25 years, the Friendship Connection Social Club will be closing its doors on July 31 due to a cut in funding to its parent company, Unlimited Potential, Inc.

The Friendship Connection Social Club is a non-therapeutic outpatient service for the mentally ill.

It provides recreation and social activities for any person who is or was in treatment for any mental illness, or for those who are seeking treatment. The club also helps people to obtain job skills. Its main purpose however is to offer a safe and comfortable environment for the mentally ill. According to coordinator Jerry Nunez, the center provides services to 60 to 70 people on a monthly basis.

“This is a huge loss. These people rely on this program for a place to go in addition to the other help they receive,” Nunez said. “A number of people who are mentally ill need proper support in order to get organized to move forward with their lives. Now they’ll be left to their own devices”

He added that he worries that the clients will encounter difficulties with out a comfortable social atmosphere and may isolate themselves from the outside world.

“Sometimes, if a mentally ill person doesn’t feel comfortable in society, they will stay home and not socialize. Further isolation will lead to further stigmatization from society, and that’s something we are trying to change,” he said.

According to Dale Angstadt, Director of Mental Health for Saratoga County, to financially sustain the program, it costs $270,000 a year. Saratoga County cut $118,000 from Unlimited Potential’s budget, thus making it no longer feasible to keep Friendship Connection Social Club in operation.

“The socialization program is valuable to Saratoga County, but the expenses aren’t feasible right now,” he said.

He added that over the last several years, costs to run the operation have risen and the number of people taking advantage of it has dropped.

“If there are 12 people there a day, we can’t justify the cost to keep it open,” he said. “The individuals who use the program are being offered alternative programs. We aren’t just shoving them out and turning the key.”

Unlimited Potential is not completely shutting down however. They will still offer job preparation for the mentally and physically disabled who are otherwise unable to find a job or have proper training.

“I understand the need to cut costs, but this is a loss to people in Saratoga County who have a mental illness. The state is going to focus on treatment, but support is necessary as well,” Nunez said.