Latest news with #Sanford-based
Miami Herald
a day ago
- General
- Miami Herald
Busy dog owner couldn't keep ‘sweetest senior sisters.' Now both need a new home
A busy owner couldn't care for her two dogs anymore — and now, they need a new home. As both of the older pups wait for a second chance, a North Carolina shelter hopes they aren't separated. 'We were told they aren't bonded, but of course we prefer that they stay together,' Carolina Animal Rescue & Adoption (CARA) wrote June 11 in a Facebook post. 'They are the sweetest senior sisters who are taking this huge life change so well.' Sasha and Daisy are up for adoption after experiencing a rough patch. They lived with a loving owner who kept them in good shape, but the situation didn't work out. 'They came to the rescue as owner surrenders, due to their owner not having time to spend with them anymore,' the Sanford-based shelter told McClatchy News in an email. 'Work obligations made it nearly impossible for them to have any human interaction. She tried having family take them, but no one was working out.' Sasha, a 15-year-old Maltese, has become known to start playing with Daisy, a 12-year-old Maltese and poodle mix. But the dogs mainly are quiet, often wanting to cuddle on someone's lap. 'For the most part they are calm,' CARA wrote. 'They are not biological sisters. Daisy was brought into their home two years after Sasha.' As of June 13, the shelter's website listed Sasha and Daisy among the animals waiting for homes. Details about the animal organization's adoption process can be found at 'They really just want to find a calm and loving home with someone who has time to spend with them,' the shelter wrote. 'They also want to find someone who can keep up with their vet care and grooming needs.' Sanford is a roughly 40-mile drive southwest from Raleigh.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal funding freeze creates chaos for North Carolina nonprofits combating homelessness
NC nonprofits providing services to homeless residents worry that an interruption in federal funding will impact their ability to provide help. (Photo: Greg Childress/NC Newsline) A funny thing happened this week to Dr. Latonya Agard, executive director of the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness (NCCEH), as she and more than 100 nonprofit leaders who serve people experiencing homelessness gathered on a Zoom call to share concerns with congressional aides about a funding freeze at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Early in the call, which took place Wednesday, Agard received a message alerting her that the HUD funding agreement she'd been anxiously awaiting had actually been processed. Agard shared her good news with NC Newsline in an email. 'I wanted to let you know that we just received a message from the HUD Field Office in Greensboro that our funding agreement is being processed and should be ready for signing by COB [close of business] today,' Agard wrote. In an interview with NC Newsline ahead of the call, Agard was worried that NCCEH would have to lay off several staffers if a nearly $1 million HUD planning grant awarded to the organization remained frozen or was eliminated. The NCCEH provides technical assistance to nonprofits that deliver direct services to people experiencing homelessness. It helps them, for example, prepare funding applications to submit to HUD. 'We are facing layoffs of four of our staff, which is incredibly difficult,' Agard said before learning about the HUD award. 'Those four staff members work directly with our [NC] Balance of State partners and that [the freeze] diminishes our capacity even more. We will only have three staff members dedicated to this work to cover 79 counties.' Several nonprofits that provide direct services to people experiencing homelessness also shared that their organizations were notified this week that funding had been restored. Kerry Bashaw, executive director of Brick Capital, a Sanford-based nonprofit, said his organization received a HUD award letter Tuesday to continue a permanent supportive housing program for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. Brick Capital received the grant under the Biden administration, he said. It would have ended March 31 had it not been renewed. Brick Capital is still concerned, however, that it won't be able to access the award in time to pay rent subsidies next month. 'That's definitely a big relief,' Bashaw said. 'It's been touch and go for the past month, month-and-a half. Now, it's not a matter of if, which is nice. Now, it's a matter of when. Will we be able to get our renewed funds by the end of this month so that we can help with the rental subsidies that are due for April?' Brick Capital also relies on federal funding to develop housing and to provide homebuying opportunities and counseling for low-income families. Ninety percent of Brick Capital's funding comes from federal sources, Bashaw said. 'It's crucial for that to continue for us to continue to serve the families that we do,' Bashaw said. 'We can't help those who are homeless, who need a hand up and help break the cycle of homelessness without HUD funding.' Brick Capital is part of the NC Balance of State Continuum of Care to which Agard referred. It was created in 2005 to help rural communities secure HUD funding. The funding supports homeless populations with permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing and supportive services. A Continuum of Care (CoC) is a collaborative effort for planning and funding homeless services. There are 11 smaller Continuums of Care throughout the state. Wednesday's meeting with congressional aides was called to give local leaders from the 12 Continuums of Care a chance to show congressional leaders the impact funding cuts and freezes will have on the people they represent. Agard's and Bashaw's stories and others shared by nonprofits during the Zoom session show the anxiety and uncertainty caused by the Trump administration's haphazard approach to cutting costs in the name of improving efficiency. Through the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, President Donald Trump has ordered massive layoffs, funding freezes and budget cuts. On Thursday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of probationary employees fired from a half dozen federal agencies. The judge said the justification for the firings had been a 'sham.' Like many nonprofits across the country that depend on federal grant dollars, NCCEH and Brick Capital received an email in late January notifying the organizations that their HUD grants had been frozen. The email provided no guidance about when or if the grants would be restored. 'With this came an abrupt absence of guidance from HUD and no technical assistance to help us understand how we were to proceed,' said Debra Susie, a project specialist with NCCEH who moderated the Zoom call. A website where nonprofit organizations accessed approved funds to reimburse expenses such as payroll and rent to landlords went offline with no guidance of when the portal would come back up, Susie said. The nonprofits immediately began contacting congressional representatives. Trump's executive order freezing funding was rescinded but the funding hasn't been restored as quickly as it was frozen. 'Here we are, six weeks later to the day with grant delays and the continued confusion and uncertainty that generates among our local governments and organizations,' Susie said. 'These agencies use those resources to effectively implement data-driven strategies to address homelessness across your congressional districts.' The chaos caused by the funding freeze could not have come at a worse time for organizations that provide services to people experiencing homelessness, Susie said. 'All of this comes at a time when that data reveals in the most recent years that two out of three North Carolinians experiencing homelessness are in it for the first time,' Susie said. HUD's most recent 'Point-in-Time' (PIT) count found 11,626 individuals experiencing homelessness across the state. That's an increase of 19% over the 2023 count. North Carolina's (PIT) count closely mirrored the nation's count. The nation saw an 18% increase in 2024 compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, Agard said few nonprofits that provide services to people experiencing homelessness could have imagined how 'chaotic and anxiety-laden' the new year would be in Trump's second term. 'I really assumed it would be a fight to resume or increase funding levels,' Agard said. 'I did not assume it meant, perhaps funding drying up or funding cycles being interrupted so that there is so much uncertainty in our system right now.'
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UCF athletics receives $1.5 million pledge for Hagle Football Gateway project
UCF athletics received a pledge of $1.5 million in support of the Hagle Football Gateway project from Wharton-Smith, Inc. The company is one of Central Florida's largest general contractors and construction firms. The Sanford-based company was key in constructing UCF's Kenneth G. Dixon Athletics Village and contributed to FBC Mortgage Stadium, the Wayne Densch Center and the Roth Athletic Center. 'My family and I, along with our team at Wharton-Smith, are honored to support the Hagle Football Gateway and invest in the future of UCF Athletics,' Wharton-Smith President and CEO Tim Smith said in a statement. 'UCF played a pivotal role in my career, and this commitment reflects our belief in the power of sports to unite, inspire, and provide student-athletes with the facilities they need to compete at the highest level. We are proud to support the enduring impact UCF will have on student-athletes and our community for years to come.' Smith received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from UCF in 1998. He is an engaged member of the UCF community and serves on the Dean's Advisory Board for the College of Engineering and Computer Science. 'We appreciate Wharton-Smith's continued leadership and strong commitment to our university and our student-athletes,' athletics director Terry Mohajir said in a statement. 'Their generous commitment will help provide power conference-caliber facilities for UCF football in our Mission XII initiative.' This new financial pledge supports the Hagle Football Gateway project, part of a proposed football campus set to feature the Taylor A. Gerring Football Center, which will house the football administration and coaches. The Gateway will also feature Nicholson Plaza and McNamara Cove, providing athletes with a recovery river and hydrotherapy. The commitment will cover renovating the Wayne Densch Sports Center, providing a new locker room, and constructing a new VIP parking lot and pedestrian promenade. Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@
