Sudden cuts at the federal Department of Health and Human Services will negatively impact some of the most-vulnerable people in local communities, according to Melissa Gallagher of the Grapevine Family Resource Center.
“We learned late last week that a certain set of funds were very suddenly canceled, mid-contract. We had already been granted the funds, and then it was just, ‘You no longer have this funding,’” Gallagher said. “We were told this would not happen, but it was pulled midstream.”
The Grapevine lost about $10,000 that had been allocated through a Health Disparities Grant.The funding was distributed to New Hampshire’s 18 family resource centers by the New Hampshire Children’s Trust. The Grapevine had budgeted to use the funds by June.
“This is a loss of important funding. We have other sources, but we are very concerned about continued losses,” Gallagher said. “So many people have been reached out to see if the Grapevine is OK, and so many people are worried about our new teen center. We tell everyone our teen center is OK, and we have other funding, but we encourage to reach out to their legislators about what’s happening.”
The funding was rescinded as a result of cuts at the federal DHHS on March 25. New Hampshire lost a total of $80 million in funding that was originally slated for post-COVID relief.
Gallagher said the funds previously allocated to The Grapevine enabled the organization to provide immediate assistance to people in crisis.
“These funds specifically supported the day-to-day intake of people and families needing basic forms of assistance,” Gallagher said. “A lot of times, The Grapevine is the first stop for someone in crisis. It could be a person who slept in their car overnight and walks in and is asking for help for the first time; they may be hungry, cold, looking for work, or they are transient. We can welcome them and begin to get them set up with the right forms of assistance, including housing and food. We connect them with food pantries and housing resources. We meet their immediate needs; we learn their story, and few help them figure out their next steps.”
Odette Butler, the new director of The River Center in Peterborough, said the funds that were cut were essential to people and families in crisis.
“People walking in the door with urgent needs could use these funds for immediate help,” Butler said. “These funds were for our most-vulnerable population.”
Butler said because the Monadnock region is so rural, there are few options available for people in crisis, and The River Center and Grapevine play major roles.
“When they come to us, often they are in crisis mode. Families are trying to pay their electric bills and keep their lights on, or they’re trying to get food on the table, or their car has fallen apart and they’re at risk of losing their job,” Butler said.
Both Butler and Gallagher said that their agencies will continue to meet the needs of the most-vulnerable members of the community, but that they will have to increase private fundraising, partnerships and grants.
“It’s not as easy as finding grants for this area as it is to find grants for supporting children or parenting,” Gallagher said. “I am very grateful for our board— they are so engaged and ready and prepared to figure out ways to be less dependent on state and federal dollars going forward. We have enormous gratitude for the community we are operating in. There is a lot of participation in our success. We have a lot of hope we can continue to serve our communities as we have been doing.”
Keeping skilled staff who are trained in navigating the complex system of state aid is a top priority for both Gallagher and Butler.
“It is a highly specialized skill to figure out how the state systems work, how to access help for people who need it and how to get help from the state. The state funds keep our highly specialized staff in place,” Gallagher said.
Butler said she anticipates increased need in the community in the months ahead.
“There are going to be more people in need than there have been, because the cost of living is expected to go up. It’s inevitable we are going to be seeing more people who need help,”” Butler said.
The Grapevine serves communities north of Peterborough, including Hillsborough, while The River Center serves Peterborough and south to New Ipswich.