Haley Makes a Swing Through the Upstate

Gov. Nikki Haley on Thursday reiterated her call for increased mental health funding.

"The most heartbreaking thing I saw [upon becoming governor] was just how bare bones mental health had become in terms of funding," said Haley. After years of drastic cuts, the state budget this year will increase mental health funding by $17 million. 

"We're increasing mental health funding dramatically," Haley said.

Haley was in Greenville on Thursday to help present a $10,000 check to Gateway House, a facility that seeks to rehabilitate persons with mental illness and keep them out of hospitals. The money, provided by the Northwestern Mutual Foundation, was presented as a community service award for one of the facility’s board members, Steve Grant.

Haley commended Gateway House, which lost its $200,000 allocation three years ago, as a model for the treatment of persons with mental illness. Thanks to this year's budget increase, the facility's funding will be restored.

Despite funding woes that have seen the state's mental health funding slashed by millions over the past several years, Gateway House has been providing a permanent support system for persons with mental illness in upstate South Carolina since 1984, providing employment assistance, housing, education, and a variety of social programs. The facility serves an average of 90 people a day.

“These are good people. These are people that deserve success, and these are people that can get there if just given a chance,” Haley said, referring to the persons served by Gateway House. “What I love is that Gateway House sees that.”

“I wish every person in South Carolina could walk through this house and see what I see,” she said. 

"We have a community of mental health [sufferers] that deserve success," Haley added. "They deserve to be believed in; they deserve to know there's a better life for them. To not get treatment means they end up in emergency rooms or prison. To get them treatment, to give them recovery like what Gateway House does, gives them a chance. It gives them a job; it gives them  an apartment; it gives them a way of life they deserve." 

In other Haley news...

While in the Upstate on Thursday, Haley also planned stops in Laurens and Gray Court. Speaking to the news media following her brief remarks at Gateway House, the governor touched on a number of subjects:

On gun control after the Colorado massacre:

"We are a strong Second Amendment state," Haley said. "And that is because people who can arm themselves and protect their families will not see as much crime. Those people who are committing these crimes are not those who are being responsible. Taking the rights for people to have guns away is not going to help the situation."

"I am a mother first," she said. "And I will tell you that my children are absolutely off limits. It was irresponsible reporting. I'm disappointed and very upset at the lack of responsibility. This isn't just talking about some story they're trying to make a scandal; this is the security of my children. My children are off limits to the media at all times, and they should respect that."

On jobs:

currently at 9.4 percent statewide, Haley said:

"We just have to work harder," she said, adding that it was important to bring jobs into the state's rural areas hardest hit in the current economic climate. "We're bringing a lot of jobs in, but we have to make sure we're training those people who want jobs but can't find one. We're really trying to ramp up the training to match up the workforce with the jobs that are coming in."

"We are pleased that they said that they are going to come back and do it quickly [instead of waiting 10 years]. Charleston is ready. Georgetown has got potential. We'll see what can happen with Jasper [County], but we need the Corps of Engineers to not take 10 years to do this, so we were thrilled," Haley said.