Federal funding cut makes Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels uncertain about ability to deliver
Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels says it's experiencing uncertain times after changes within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shuttered the Administration for Community Living. The federal program accounted for half of the local organization's food budget.
CEO Barbara Niess-May says she's honestly not sure how long they'll be able to deliver meals to their hundreds of clients in Washtenaw County. Niess-May is also uncertain if they'll be able to check in on these older adults when making drop-offs in the future.
The median age of the clients Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels serves is 74, making the interaction with the driver nearly as important as the food they deliver.
"There have been many times when we've been on a delivery and we've interrupted a major medical event, or we've noticed something and we've been able to reach out to a loved one and say we've noticed something different, and then they were able to intervene," Niess-May said.
She says they're forced to use rainy day funds and look at dollars from a county millage for older adults to try and fill the $250,000 void, but she also says this isn't the type of thing those funds are supposed to be used for.
"The millage was intended to grow services, and the reserve is there for when something happens, and this didn't have to be the thing that happened. This didn't have to be a catastrophe," Niess-May said.
She says she's most concerned about their clients' health, citing potential losses to Meals on Wheels, their income through Social Security, and their health through Medicaid.
"Food is important, but it feels like a drop in the bucket when they're using Social Security to pay their rent and that Medicaid is the only healthcare that they have access to. What's going to happen to them then?" she said.
Niess-May says 30% of their clients bring in less than $1,000 every month, and they are more than likely on a fixed income. She is uncertain of what's next for her organization and the clients it cares for.
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