LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — A decade-old program that’s helped thousands of Michigan families navigate life with autism has been cut from the state budget—sacrificed, lawmakers say, to make room for road repairs.

Navigating autism.

Lawmakers dropped the $2 million in funding for the Autism Alliance of Michigan’s Navigator program from the final state budget approved last week. This cam despite years of bipartisan backing. Lawmakers said the cut came as part of a broader effort to trim spending and redirect roughly $1.5 billion toward road and infrastructure projects.

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“Next year, you’re going to see even more reductions,” Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) said. 

A support system for 4,000 families.

Housed within the  Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), the Navigator program connects about 4,000 families each year with specialists, case managers, and support networks. Since 2015, lawmakers in both parties steadily grew its funding from $500,000 to $2 million by 2023.

Colleen Allen, president and CEO of the Autism Alliance of Michigan, said the elimination blindsided her team. “How do you decide families with autism are less important than roads?” she said. “I don’t know where families go next.”

The loss represents nearly half of the Autism Alliance’s operating budget, Allen said, adding that layoffs are “very likely.” She’s now asking private donors to help fill the gap.

“A real blow.”

Former Republican Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, whose daughter was diagnosed with autism, helped create the program after discovering firsthand how complex the state’s care systems could be. “If it was this difficult for a person as well-connected and well-resourced as me, it must be darn near impossible for other people,” Calley said. “That last-minute cut was a real blow.”

Whitmer is expected to sign the new budget in the coming days—one that paves Michigan’s roads, but  defunds a program that many families have relied on for autism support.

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“This has to be a mistake,” Ron Fournier, current board member of the Autism Alliance, said. “I can’t for the life of me understand why Gov. Whitmer and Speaker Hall allowed this to happen.”