- Elder Care Services and The Kearney Center homeless shelter rely on federal funding for a "significant" portion of their revenue to serve hundreds of clients.
- While President Trump's federal funding freeze has currently been halted by two federal judges, these organizations are working out what a future might look like with federal cutbacks.
- Watch the video to find out how they're preparing and what programs could potentially be impacted.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
While Washington D.C. might be over 800 miles away from our city, it's felt much closer for agencies this past week. A recent memo halting federal funding sparked worry among our local organizations who rely on this federal money to provide key programs.
While two federal judges have currently blocked the freeze, agencies here are taking precautionary steps. ABC 27 sat down with organizations that are working out what a future without federal funding could look like.
Deliberations up in Washington D.C., causing potential strain and worry in the Sunshine State
"I think we all understand there's got to be some budget alignments for the county, I totally get that," said Sonya Wilson, Executive Director of The Kearney Center homeless shelter, "but I was not anticipating the news that services were going to be halted,"
That's following President Trump's recent memo to halt federal funding for grants and programs for review.
The Trump administration has since rescinded the memo, and several court orders blocked the freeze, however, Trump has argued he has a right to pause the flow of federal money.
So for someone like you as President and CEO, have you ever been in a situation like this?
"You know, the last time we had such significant uncertainty was the pandemic," said Jocelyn Fliger, President and CEO of Elder Care Services.
This back-and-forth dialogue is causing our local organizations, like Elder Care Services, to rethink some of their operations.
"[The potential decision] really does have us huddle up and look at what could a future look like where our government isn't helping out and supporting the seniors in our area," said Fliger.
Fliger said the freeze would significantly impact two key programs - their AmeriCorps Senior Program and Meals on Wheels, serving hundreds of seniors locally.
"Meals on Wheels really helps people stay in their homes, stay independent, stay healthy," said Fliger.
Current conversations at Elder Care Services include connecting with stakeholders to see how the programs could be supported in other ways.
"We can make sure that we create stability in our agency, stability, and reassurance for our clients and we're going to do everything we can to make sure our voices are heard about this," said Fliger.
A similar game plan is being established at The Kearney Center homeless shelter.
"How we're going to align and conserve what we do have in preparation for whatever the fallout is," said Wilson. "It's just been a taxing week trying to figure out what to cut when there's not a lot of fat to cut."
What do some of those initial plans look like if you can talk about them? "So we are looking at reducing our services like again our shuttle buses, we have two," said Wilson, "and they're much needed to transport our clients to different entities to get IDs and things that they need, appointments they need to make. We may limit the amount of runs we make each out, pulling our outreach team."
Wilson said a significant amount of their funding comes from the federal level. The center is also looking to diversify by applying for more private grants. It's a pressure both of these agencies said they're feeling tenfold.
"I am duty-bound in my role to ensure that I am able to provide services to our unsheltered," said Wilson.
If you could talk directly to the federal government, why would you say this funding matters so much?
"The people we serve have so little, and to take away a fresh hot meal and a warm smile that they get every day, just seems to be unbearable," said Fliger.
The White House has since said that the original memo about the freeze has been rescinded but that federal funding will be under review. Two temporary restraining orders have been issued halting the freeze by two separate judges. The most recent one came on Monday.
