A decades-old state program that provides cash assistance to more than 60,000 Pennsylvanians will end this week, a move state officials say will save about $150 million annually but advocates fear will leave thousands of vulnerable people without needed aid. 

The general assistance program has provided money to vulnerable residents, including the disabled, people undergoing addiction treatments and domestic violence victims, since the Great Depression.  Gov. Tom Corbett proposed eliminating the $200 monthly payments in February and the measure was included in the budget approved in late June; a one-month extension runs out Wednesday. 

Those losing assistance can receive aid through other programs, according to state officials.  But service providers and advocates worry about how the change will affect thousands of people who depend on the money. 

Terrance Meachum, an organizer with the Philadelphia Unemployment Project, estimates that 35,000 people in the city benefit from the program. 

"These are our most vulnerable citizens," said Meachum, whose group is planning a rally on Tuesday to protest the cut. " It's pretty much like throwing these guys under the bus." 

The program is entirely state-funded and serves certain individuals who do not qualify for the federally funded Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefit, according to the Department of Public Welfare's website.  Recipients must meet specific criteria, such as having a disability.  There are about 61,000 people using the program right now, said Donna Morgan, a DPW spokeswoman. 

With the agency's budget growing more than tax revenues were, Morgan said, state officials had to find a way to cut costs. " We are trying to say, 'Hey, we are trying to live within the means that we have now,'" she said. 

Brian Redden, 48, of Philadelphia, said he started receiving about $200 a month through the program in January because he injured his back on the job and was out of work.  Redden said he uses the money for things such as the cost of travel as he looks for work in the suburbs and to help pay his heating bill. 

"I don't know how I'm going to do it," Redden said. " What he's taking away is the capability for people to try to get help to try to better themselves." 

The state is trying to help recipients find ways they can get other types of assistance, directing them to their counties and checking if they may be eligible for federal programs, Morgan said, adding that DPW is still serving about 2.2 million people. 

Kelli Roberts, a Corbett spokeswoman, said the cash program was targeted because it was entirely state-funded and not subject to federal mandates. " The cost of our public assistance programs is growing at an unsustainable rate," she said. 

But state Sen. Vincent Hughes, D-Philadelphia, said the change is hurting vulnerable people while the administration provides tax breaks and other help for corporations and wealthier individuals. 

"If you got money, you make out in this administration," Hughes said. " If you don't have money, you don't."