BERKELEY – A local 96-year-old expressed great concern that cuts to a state social program has seriously impacted her sense of independence.
Edith Gbur is legally deaf-blind. She has a support service provider that helps her continue to age comfortably at home.
At the end of February, she noticed that the New Jersey Support Service Providers program was being reduced. Personally, this means that her 16 hours of care a week was cut to 9 hours a week.
“It left me in despair. Living in my home is important for my self-sufficiency,” she said. “This is not a luxury; it’s a necessity.”
Gbur had been active in grassroots organizations for a number of years, so she came out to a Berkeley Township Council meeting to ask her governing body to pass a resolution asking for the funding to be returned.
According to the American Association of the Deaf-Blind, a support service provider can be any person, volunteer or professional, trained to act as a link between persons who are deaf-blind and their environment. They typically work with a single individual, and act as a guide and communication facilitator.
She also sent a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy asking him to restore full funding.
“I respectfully urge you to restore its funding and ensure that all participating SSP (Support Service Providers) consumers are given the full access and support they need to live independently, safely and with dignity,” she said. “I was accepted into the NJ-SSP program in October 2024 that is a collaborative effort between the New Jersey Commission for the Blind & Visually Impaired (CBVI) and The College of New Jersey. This program changed my life after my husband died over 2 years ago who had been my primary support.
“The NJ-SSP program gave me the chance to regain a significant degree of independence and safety with the 16 hours that we had up until February 2025. At the end of February 2025, we were given three days’ notice of the 40 percent cuts due to the Trump administrative federal cuts to the SSP program,” she said. “Now I have 10 hours with the 40 percent cuts and that is not enough to sustain my independence and safety in my home. This is a significant decline leaving me vulnerable to accidents in my home, social isolation and unable to manage basic tasks such as reading mail, errands, paying my bills, medical appointments to name a few. This program is unique since the NJ-SSP program allows me to schedule my hours from 2-8 hours to complete tasks as I need,” she said.
“Governor Murphy, I know you care deeply about protecting New Jerseys most vulnerable population. I ask with deep respect that you find state funding to make up the federal funding cuts that occurred in February 2025. The lost hours should be restored so that deaf-blind persons like myself can continue to live independently with dignity in their homes as long as possible. I know you are very intelligent and understand that without such assistance, we can become a costly burden on other agencies, hospitals, police and emergency services,” she said.
Township Council members and the mayor spoke to her and her helper after the meeting to make sure she could get the care she needs.
Councilman James Byrnes said he’s on the County Board of Social Services, which provides a variety of programs. “I’m sure there’s something the county can do.”
A representative from the Commission was reached for comment by this newspaper about the state cuts.
“While the Department is unable to discuss individual circumstances, we understand that changes to services can be concerning. The Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired informed consumers in March that service hours in the Support Service Providers Program have been adjusted due to budgetary constraints. These changes were made with great care to help ensure the program remains sustainable for active consumers,” they said.
