A roadblock Virginia and its charities must overcome

Regarding the April 23 Metro article “Money muddle for Va. charities” :

For decades, Virginia has relied on nonprofit organizations that have been evaluated, accredited and proved effective in providing housing, health care and other critical services.

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A controversial advisory opinion from the state attorney general should not be a barrier to children receiving physical exams so they can start school, working parents accessing affordable housing or unemployed people getting job training. We need to ensure that an effective and permanent system is in place to support the public-nonprofit partnerships that make Virginia better for all.

Partnerships between state governments and nonprofits are key to delivering critical services to working families. Nonprofits know the needs of their communities and are well-equipped to provide assistance in smart, efficient ways. Virginia has been wise to entrust much of its outreach to working families to these well-run organizations. Before the next budget cycle, the General Assembly should investigate the constitutional question and — if needed — resolve it by clarifying the wording to reflect the values of Virginia residents.

In the meantime these nonprofits should receive the money they were promised, especially in a time of unprecedented need. Frozen funds should be released immediately.

We ought not let this stand in the way of our ability to serve others in the way Virginia intended when the founding fathers created the commonwealth for the common good.

Chuck Bean, Arlington

Jim Dinegar, Arlington

The writers are, respectively, executive director of the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington and president and CEO of the Greater Washington Board of Trade.