Latest news with #EmergencyFoodandShelterProgram
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chosen 300 outreach program concerned about federal budget cuts affecting its food programs
The Brief Chosen 300 provides 170,000 meals a year from its three locations. Federal budget cuts are affecting the amount of money Chosen 300 receives. There is a pause in dispersing the reduced funds. PHILADELPHIA - Federal budget cuts are threatening food service programs like the one at Chosen 300. An award letter announced drastically reduced funding and a warning about a pause in dispersing the funds. Chosen 300 feeds the homeless and families who are struggling and some who are seeing cuts to their food assistance benefits like SNAP. By the numbers Chosen 300 says it is seeing about a $41,000 decrease in its annual budget. Its most recent award letter stated their funds were only $9,000. Chosen 300 says it is an 85% decrease from two years ago when in 2023 it received $60,000. What they're saying "This place has given me so much hope," said Thomasina Glennon. She and her three young children are having a hot and hearty meal tonight at Chosen 300 in West Philly. They are homeless and live in a shelter. "Sometimes the food is not always the greatest so having other places to go to eat, they invite us out to events and they have a lot of things for the community," she said about Chosen 300. Before dinner there was church worship and Brian Jenkins who is the executive director of Chosen 300 gave a brief sermon. He says he is leaning on faith that these free daily community dinners will continue now that the non-profit is seeing cuts to federal funding. "We kind of knew it was coming just from the political scheme right now. We realize that a lot of stuff was going to get cut. We did not realize it was going to be that great of a cut," he said. Chosen 300 received its award letter from the Emergency Food and Shelter Program which is part of FEMA. "Those funds were only $9,000. We are talking about an 85% decrease from two years ago when in 2023 we got $60,000," said Jenkins who adds that free groceries that struggling families come here on other days to get to take home are also at risk. Families are seeing cuts to food assistance like their SNAP benefits. "We also have bulk distribution programs, we have grocery programs and a lot of those things are being impacted," said Jenkins. Penn Medicine funded and served Monday night's dinner for Chosen 300 to prepare. "Regardless of the political climate we have we need to be good neighbors," said Laura Kim with Penn Medicine. Jenkins says there is also a delay in receiving the reduced funds. His award letter reads in part, "On January 27, the Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a memorandum to federal agencies requiring a temporary pause on all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance that may be implicated by recent executive orders." "Even though it's only $9,000, that's $9,000 we still haven't received yet and don't know when it's going to show up," said Jenkins. What's next Chosen 300 is asking the community to donate or to support its Walk Against Homelessness fundraiser on June 14. The Source The information in this story is from Chosen 300, Emergency Food and Shelter Program-Philadelphia Local Board.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Utah homeless advocates worry about loss of federal funding
Possible cuts in federal funding to Utah homeless shelters has the operators of at least two facilities worried about how to keep their agencies running and pursuing increased donations from the public as a way to keep afloat. 'Our fundraising and grant-writing efforts are going to have to ramp up pretty significantly,' said Lauren Navidomskis, executive director of Lantern House, a 330-bed homeless shelter in Ogden that serves individuals and families. Kristen Mitchell, founder and executive director of Youth Futures Utah, which operates shelters for homeless youth in Ogden, Cedar City and St. George, worries about the future of some $750,000 in funding that comes through the federal Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. Like Navidomskis, she also worries about the future of funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which amounts to $25,000 to $50,000 a year for Youth Futures. 'We have some pretty intense uncertainty about our federal funding,' Mitchell said. The funding hasn't been cut — not yet, anyway. The administration of President Donald Trump, though, has frozen distribution of the money as it reviews spending. This has spurred jitters and calls by Mitchell for the public to donate and to reach out to Utah's federal delegation to urge approval of Runaway and Homeless Youth Act funding. Runaway and Homeless Youth Act funding alone accounts for around 17% of Youth Futures' annual budget of $4.5 million, and the potential loss of the money, if not offset by other revenue, worries Mitchell. Services could be trimmed, meaning some homeless kids would potentially have to fend for themselves. Before Youth Futures opened its first facility in 2015, Mitchell said, homeless kids would seek shelter in caves, abandoned buildings, sheds, parks or homes of drug dealers. 'It's tragic the things that these kids have to turn to to survive,' she said. Lantern House and Youth Futures, both privately operated nonprofit agencies, aren't alone in their unease about future funding under Trump, whose administration is focused on slashing government spending. In conversations with leaders from other Utah organizations that aid the homeless, Mitchell also senses uncertainty. 'They're calling me, going, 'Have you heard anything? What have you heard? What are you seeing?'' she said. Likewise, the funding freeze is causing concern among organizations around the country that aid the homeless and others in need. Nearly 50 U.S. House Democrats signed a letter sent Monday to FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, calling on them to restore FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter Program funding. 'EFSP plays a critical role in combatting hunger and homelessness in our country, working to lift children and families out of desperate circumstances. We demand that you take immediate action to ensure that full funding for EFSP, as appropriated by Congress, resumes without further disruption,' reads the letter, sent by Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio. The FEMA program 'provides critical support to local organizations, filling gaps to respond to urgent needs or where other sources of funding fall short,' the letter continues. Navidomskis said about half of Lantern House's annual $3 million budget comes from federal and state funds. If federal funding is cut, though, that could reduce money coming from the state, as well, as state leaders reallocate funds to recipient agencies to help them contend with the loss of support from Washington, D.C. Lantern House, the largest shelter in Utah in terms of bed count, provided 3,300 people with 97,000 shelter nights between them in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2024. It served around 120,000 free meals to 4,200 people. Mitchell describes Youth Futures as 'sitting in a sort of limbo position' as federal authorities review spending. The agency has 53 beds for homeless youth at its three locations and serves around 700 people per year. 'We just don't have answers. We don't know,' she said. That uncertainty is prompting the turn to the public for donations to help offset any federal funding cuts. 'I'm trying to get ahead of possible concerns. I'm trying to diversify my funding, receive more just unrestricted funding to help us cover any possible delays or cuts or freezes,' Mitchell said. Meantime, Navidomskis said the number of people Lantern House serves and the severity of issues many of them face continue to rise. 'I don't think the homeless issue is getting better. I think there's more awareness and there seems to be a little bit more investment from our higher-level philanthropic giving that can drive some evidence-based change,' she said. 'But from the day-to-day perspective, it still feels like a very, very heavy task and load to lift.'
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Utah homeless advocates worry about loss of federal funding
Possible cuts in federal funding to Utah homeless shelters has the operators of at least two facilities worried about how to keep their agencies running and pursuing increased donations from the public as a way to keep afloat. 'Our fundraising and grant-writing efforts are going to have to ramp up pretty significantly,' said Lauren Navidomskis, executive director of Lantern House, a 330-bed homeless shelter in Ogden that serves individuals and families. Kristen Mitchell, founder and executive director of Youth Futures Utah, which operates shelters for homeless youth in Ogden, Cedar City and St. George, worries about the future of some $750,000 in funding that comes through the federal Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. Like Navidomskis, she also worries about the future of funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which amounts to $25,000 to $50,000 a year for Youth Futures. 'We have some pretty intense uncertainty about our federal funding,' Mitchell said. The funding hasn't been cut — not yet, anyway. The administration of President Donald Trump, though, has frozen distribution of the money as it reviews spending. This has spurred jitters and calls by Mitchell for the public to donate and to reach out to Utah's federal delegation to urge approval of Runaway and Homeless Youth Act funding. Runaway and Homeless Youth Act funding alone accounts for around 17% of Youth Futures' annual budget of $4.5 million, and the potential loss of the money, if not offset by other revenue, worries Mitchell. Services could be trimmed, meaning some homeless kids would potentially have to fend for themselves. Before Youth Futures opened its first facility in 2015, Mitchell said, homeless kids would seek shelter in caves, abandoned buildings, sheds, parks or homes of drug dealers. 'It's tragic the things that these kids have to turn to to survive,' she said. Lantern House and Youth Futures, both privately operated nonprofit agencies, aren't alone in their unease about future funding under Trump, whose administration is focused on slashing government spending. In conversations with leaders from other Utah organizations that aid the homeless, Mitchell also senses uncertainty. 'They're calling me, going, 'Have you heard anything? What have you heard? What are you seeing?'' she said. Likewise, the funding freeze is causing concern among organizations around the country that aid the homeless and others in need. Nearly 50 U.S. House Democrats signed a letter sent Monday to FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, calling on them to restore FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter Program funding. 'EFSP plays a critical role in combatting hunger and homelessness in our country, working to lift children and families out of desperate circumstances. We demand that you take immediate action to ensure that full funding for EFSP, as appropriated by Congress, resumes without further disruption,' reads the letter, sent by Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio. The FEMA program 'provides critical support to local organizations, filling gaps to respond to urgent needs or where other sources of funding fall short,' the letter continues. Navidomskis said about half of Lantern House's annual $3 million budget comes from federal and state funds. If federal funding is cut, though, that could reduce money coming from the state, as well, as state leaders reallocate funds to recipient agencies to help them contend with the loss of support from Washington, D.C. Lantern House, the largest shelter in Utah in terms of bed count, provided 3,300 people with 97,000 shelter nights between them in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2024. It served around 120,000 free meals to 4,200 people. Mitchell describes Youth Futures as 'sitting in a sort of limbo position' as federal authorities review spending. The agency has 53 beds for homeless youth at its three locations and serves around 700 people per year. 'We just don't have answers. We don't know,' she said. That uncertainty is prompting the turn to the public for donations to help offset any federal funding cuts. 'I'm trying to get ahead of possible concerns. I'm trying to diversify my funding, receive more just unrestricted funding to help us cover any possible delays or cuts or freezes,' Mitchell said. Meantime, Navidomskis said the number of people Lantern House serves and the severity of issues many of them face continue to rise. 'I don't think the homeless issue is getting better. I think there's more awareness and there seems to be a little bit more investment from our higher-level philanthropic giving that can drive some evidence-based change,' she said. 'But from the day-to-day perspective, it still feels like a very, very heavy task and load to lift.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘The issue is we're now in limbo': DOGE cuts impact Kern County food and housing assistance programs
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Amid continued federal funding cuts from the Trump administration, the future of various federal programs remains unclear. In Bakersfield, families seeking food and housing assistance are already being turned away. Food pantries and organizations in town predict the impact will only grow — perhaps within the next month. For families struggling to make ends meet, the Salvation Army in Bakersfield is often the last glimpse of hope. 'We are the last resort,' said Capt. Clinton Trimmer, a corps officer with the Bakersfield Salvation Army. 'What we are talking about is people who have received either an eviction notice or people who have received a pay or quit notice. So, these are people who are in an emergency situation. It's not just they have fallen behind. They are in danger of homelessness,' said Trimmer. What allows Captain Clinton Trimmer and his team to help are federal funds from The Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) of FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. BFD seeks man in connection with fire that damaged Kern County Veterans Memorial To help prevent homelessness, this program — started in 1983 — funds housing, food and supportive services. 'It's been a stable program, and it may still be a stable program. We don't know. The issue is we're now in limbo,' Trimmer noted. With that yearly funding, The Salvation Army helps dozens of families. Last year, 35 households got rent or mortgage assistance and 54 households got utilities assistance. In 2023, 58 households got rent or mortgage assistance. 155 got utilies assistance. Since 1984, when the Salvation Army began utilizing EFSP funds, Trimmer said more than 1,200 households got rent and mortgage assistance; more than 2,200 got utilities assistance. Additionally, Trimmer mentioned, his call logs show he typically gets around 150 calls monthly asking for either rent or utility assistance. Approximately 60 of the calls will be for rent or mortgage assistance, while approximately 110 of the calls will be for utility assistance. Trimmer also said this funding specifically is used for the Salvation Army's Homeless Prevention Program — rent, mortgage and utility assistance. In recent weeks and days, he's had to turn families away. 'We just aren't able to provide that assistance,' he stated. Trimmer detailed that even with guaranteed EFSP funding, there's more demand that supply. 'It's a constant struggle between trying to find funds and the growing need,' he said. Here in Kern County, 10 organizations applied and received funding last year (called Phase 41 funding) — including The Open Door Network, The Mission At Kern County and the Community Action Partnership of Kern — known as CAPK. 'There's a total pause on all Emergency Food and Shelter Program funding,' said Eric Arias, CEO of United Way of Central Eastern California. 'So, that means Phase 42, which would be that new phase of funding, which has been in existence for decades and has been a reliable source of funding for a lot of our nonprofits, but also, for those who are owed funding for awards that have been previously done in previous phases, they're also not able to pull down that funding at the moment.' Arias explained he and United Way serve as the middleman in EFSP fund allocations — the funds are given to them, and the group distributes the funds to select Kern County organizations. CAPK's food bank administrator told 17 News it uses EFSP funds to supplement community food donations. Consequently, it's already buying less food, and there will likely be a trickle-down effect to the 150 agency partners they distribute food to. It warned families may be impacted within the next month. Lauren Skidmore of The Open Door Network told 17 News due to the uncertainty in EFSP funds, the organization has seen an impact in food purchases for its domestic violence and homeless shelters. Another specific example — for food pantries like Catholic Charities, CAPK is the only supplier. Most of their food comes from CAPK for free. So, if there are cuts to CAPK because of the limbo situation with EFSP funds, that means CAPK can't purchase as much food. That reduces how much food these food pantries get, and thus Kern County families get. 'We're able to bring them food. It's a culturally appropriate menu, so we bring things like rice, beans, chicken,' said Beatriz Trevino, site director of Catholic Charities. Trevino stated EFSP funds allow them to serve rural communities and provide rent and utility assistance. With the freeze, the organization hasn't been able to offer the latter. 'We're just having them check back in with us because when funds are available, we'll still of course be able to provide that service to anyone that needs it,' said Trevino. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
El Paso ends emergency declaration as migrant arrivals drop at US-Mexico border under Trump
The city of El Paso quietly ended its state of emergency declaration that was put in place at the height of the mass arrival of migrants to the Borderland. The emergency ordinance was last approved on Jan. 7, 2025. It was not included on the February agenda. The decision not to renew the order was made because the city had seen a massive decline in migrants arriving at the border. "We have not had the need to renew it," City Rep. Chris Canales of District 8 said. "There is currently no more emergency ordinance." The decision to end the emergency ordinance came as the two Federal Emergency Management Agency grant and reimbursement programs — the Emergency Food and Shelter Program and the Shelter and Services Program — were ending or faced changes. "Our federal funding expired at the end of December," City Rep. Josh Acevedo of District 2 said. "It got transferred to the Shelter and Services Program." The measure activated the El Paso city-county Office of Emergency Management, allowed them to staff migrant shelters and shift finances to provide humanitarian relief services. It paved the way for the city to "to create and staff a Welcome Center to assist with transportation assistance, providing long-distance charter services and over 39,000 meals." The emergency declaration permitted City Hall to access the funds made available through the federal reimbursement programs. The city utilized the ordinance and SSP funding through most of January, said Deputy City Manager Mario D'Agostino, ahead of the Donald Trump presidential inauguration. "The reason we had that in place was so we can do things outside of our normal operations," he explained. "We had to use hotel rooms in early January because NGOs didn't have the capacity to house (the arriving migrants.)" However, Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20 marked the end of the need for the emergency ordinance. Since June, El Paso has experienced a sharp decline in arrivals. The Trump administration ultimately eliminated the CBP One application used by migrants to access asylum interviews. The move, by executive order, essentially halted migrants' access to apply for asylum as allowed by U.S. immigration law. "The numbers are just astronomically different," D'Agostino said. "We are not seeing any releases. Once the Trump administration took place, it really dropped off." More: El Paso County affirms support for constitutional rights of migrants The emergency ordinance was first signed by Mayor Oscar Leeser on Dec. 17, 2022, as El Paso saw the historic arrival of migrants at the border. This led to a humanitarian crisis as people were left on the streets in freezing temperatures, without travel plans to reach sponsors and family members. Leeser said before leaving office in January 2025 that it was something he "had to do." Immediately, Gov. Greg Abbott deployed Operation Lone Star forces to the El Paso-Juárez border. The Texas National Guard unspooled miles of razor-wire on the north bank of the Rio Grande and started round-the-clock patrols. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers began to patrol the border as well and carry out high-speed pursuits against suspected human smugglers, resulting in deaths and injuries. Acevedo said at the time he met with Texas DPS to express the concerns of his constituents and see what could be done about the high-speed pursuits. But there was not a lot of information shared with him. "There wasn't a lot of data," he said. "And still it isn't being shared." El Paso County condemned the DPS high-speed pursuits, demanding that the state curb the dangerous pursuits. The measure permitted the city to access FEMA grants and reimbursement programs to address the needs of migrants — including housing and transportation — who were released from Customs and Border Protection agents into the community. The city was able to purchase the former Morehead Middle School building in order to create an emergency shelter. More: Trump's military deportation flights cost more, carry fewer migrants The emergency ordinance required unanimous support from the City Council and had to be approved every 30 days. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, was key to establishing the FEMA programs, including the Shelter and Services Program. The FEMA grant and reimbursement program guaranteed that the city did not have to use local tax dollars to respond to the humanitarian crisis. The Trump administration is currently blocking the reimbursement of SSP funds. FEMA is demanding that recipients of the funds, including El Paso and El Paso County, provide the names of migrants who received services through the funds. The number of migrants arriving in El Paso has continued to significantly declined in the first three months of 2025. February saw a record decrease in the number of migrants encountered by the Border Patrol, with CBP reporting only 2,110 encounters that month in the El Paso sector. A year prior, there were 23,919 encounters in the sector in the same month. The El Paso Sector extends from the El Paso county line west through New Mexico and 100 miles from the border. City Hall and El Paso non-profit organizations have rollbacked services for migrants in response to the decreased number of arrivals. El Paso County shut down the Migrant Support Services Center in December 2024, in part, because of the decreased numbers and changes to the FEMA programs. More: 'They're part of El Paso now': Desert bighorn sheep return to Franklin Mountains Federal contractors along the border have begun laying off workers since Trump canceled contracts in his first months in office and as the number of migrants crossing has plummeted. Nearly 500 federal contractors involved in immigration-related services in El Paso have been laid off since February. The decline in arrivals began in January 2024 as Mexico began a crackdown on immigration, blocking migrants in southern Mexico. The numbers continued to decrease after the Biden Administration barred accessing asylum between ports of entry in June 2024, pushing the use of the CBP One application to access asylum services. It is unlikely El Paso will receive any support in the future if these trends reverse. "It is pretty clear to us that the Trump administration is providing little to no funding for services for migrants," Canales said. "So I don't anticipate that in any time soon we'll be opening (the Morehead) facility for that use." Jeff Abbott covers the border for the El Paso Times and can be reached at:jdabbott@ on Twitter or @ on Bluesky. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso ends emergency declaration as migrant arrivals drop at border
