SPOKANE, Wash. — A local organization that cares for some of Spokane’s most vulnerable babies is set to keep its doors open after weeks of uncertainty.
Maddie’s Place, a nursery for babies born addicted to drugs from exposure in the womb, helps nurse both the babies and their mothers to health.
At the end of March, the organization found that of the $2.2 million in funding requested from the State, the Washington Senate’s proposal only set aside $200,000, leaving Maddie’s Place to make up a $2 million gap.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Maddie’s Place fearful of closing its doors with looming state budget cuts
The initially proposed cut was part of Washington lawmaker’s push to close the state’s multi-million dollar budget shortfall.
Maddie’s Place said in mid-April it was at risk of closing its doors if it was unable to secure the additional funding.
On Sunday, Maddie’s Place announced the Washington legislature’s newly proposed budget for 2025-2027 allocated $2 million to Maddie’s Place out of the state’s Opioid Abatement Fund, which is not paid for by taxpayer dollars.
“I was very hopeful that our efforts in Olympia these past six months – hiring a lobbyist last year, multiple trips to meet one-on-one with key legislatures on Ways & Means (Senate) and Appropriations (House) – would bear fruit, but you never know. The state budget crisis and need to cut billions in social services has put a lot of nonprofits in Washington at risk,” said Maddie’s Place President and CEO, Shaun Cross.
The House approved the proposed budget early Sunday afternoon, and the senate is expected to do the same later on Sunday.
The final proposed budget will go to Governor Ferguson for his approval in May.
Once approved, Maddie’s Place expects to receive its funding on July 1.
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