Federal Budget Cuts Force Community Services to Make Hard Choices

Federal budget cuts will force Community Services offices around the country to make hard choices over the next two years, Bonnie Patterson, Executive Director for the office that serves Worth County and five other county offices, told the Community Services board at their regular meeting Wednesday night.

Budget cuts in certain areas will happen regardless of whether the sequester continues or the President and Congress reach an agreement. President Barack Obama’s 2014 budget would cut the Community Services Block Grant by 50% and would use competition to determine which agencies would receive the funding.

The budget would invest $1.4 billion in new early childhood intervention and Head Start funding to support states and communities in expanding the availability of high-quality learning opportunities for youngest children. It would extend and expand evidence-based voluntary home visiting at a cost of $15 billion.

The budget would provide $75 billion to provide $75 billion to provide high quality preschool for all four year olds to provide low and moderate income children with preschool while incentivizing the states to expand these programs even further. These investments would be paid for by raising the federal tax on cigarettes from $1.01 to $1.95 per pack. The tobacco industry is already protesting these increases.

The weatherization program would get $184 million and and Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program would get $3 billion, a cut of $346 million.

In her report to the board, Patterson said that President Obama’s preschool initiative was “a little discouraging” because what they were promoting was, in essence, the Head Start Program but the money would go to the states and then others would be able to apply for it.

Patterson said that Community Services needed to cut their budget by 5% this year. Next year, if the sequestration is still in place, another 5% worth of cuts could be made. They are looking into federal money for enrolling income eligible people into the Medicaid system for the Affordable Care Act. The state association is looking into applying for this money and subcontracting with the local agencies to provide this service.

Worth County is waiting for the weather to cooperate before starting their community garden this year. The Poverty Summit display will be in Worth County on May 22nd and 23rd. Worth County held a Meals with Class program; 15 participants attended all three classes.  Worth and Gentry counties did 171 clients’ taxes and obtained refunds of $285,891. Worth County had 127 people apply for the Low Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program last winter. Worth County had 235 individuals, 100 families, and 50 seniors receive commodities. The 235 individuals for Worth County was the most of any county despite Worth County having the smallest population out of the four counties served.

Worth County had 18 students in their Head Start program as of April.