Topeka ? State budget cuts to human services are starting to inundate local communities.

Cottonwood Inc., which provides services to individuals with developmental disabilities in Douglas and Jefferson counties, is searching for ways to make up for cuts that will remove state funding for 26 people.

“We’re trying to continue to serve them,” said Sharon Spratt, chief executive officer of Cottonwood. “We are meeting with the county next month to see if they could help make up a little bit of this loss.”

The 26 people with developmental disabilities receive staff support to help them with their daily lives and personal needs, she said.

“They function pretty well, but they do need supports in order to keep them healthy and productive and safe,” Spratt said.

Cottonwood is losing about $250,000 in state funding in the program, she said.

That is just one of many cuts that will hit social service agencies as the Legislature reduced funding to the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services by approximately $20 million for the fiscal year that starts July 1.