MIDDLE TOWNSHIP – In response to a question at the June 2 Township Committee meeting, Mayor Christopher Leusner said he hoped state budget cuts aimed at the Volunteers of America would be rethought.

Leusner, who for 13 years served as township police chief, called the program that embeds two Volunteers of America specialists in the Police Department a program that works.

Volunteers of America is a faith-based, nonprofit human services organization with programs in 46 states. In Middle Township, the two members of the organization work from within the Police Department to help officers respond to calls involving mental health issues.

As trained social services personnel, the specialists respond with officers and help defuse otherwise dangerous situations. They connect individuals in need with services, including housing for the homeless, mental health counseling and aid with drug addictions.

The Middle Township program is funded through a state grant. In fiscal 2025 the state budget for the organization was $6.6 million. The Department of Human Services’ fiscal 2026 budget, which is still part of the overall budget negotiations in Trenton, cuts the program by $3.8 million.

The possibility of a major funding reduction for the organization led to the two individuals who were working with Middle police to leave and find other employment. Leusner said Volunteers of America is providing personnel for the program on a temporary basis, but the experienced individuals who left will be missed.

The mayor said the program works to achieve goals state officials are always talking about; it makes little sense, he said, to gut a program that is working well to achieve those goals.

The state is required to adopt a budget by the start of a new fiscal year on July 1.

Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.