West CAP warns that the poverty-fighting organizations running popular programs, from food assistance to Energy Assistance, are being forced to halt services – even as they face increasing demand.
GLENWOOD CITY, WI – As a lapse in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds arrives, Americans are turning to Community Action Agencies, trusted, locally‑led organizations tasked with combating poverty, for help. Yet, hundreds of Community Action organizations across the country, responsible for critical services that often include food banks and meal-delivery services for seniors, are being forced to cut back services due to the government shutdown, warns West CAP, one of 16 community action agencies in Wisconsin and 1,000 across the United States that are tasked with combating poverty on the local level.
Already, an estimated 14 percent of CAAs have closed programs or furloughed staff. By Thanksgiving, another 20 percent will be forced to shutter programs and furlough staff temporarily. By December, nearly half of all CAAs will have to close programs or close down entirely, according to the National Community Action Foundation.
“West CAP is driven by a mission to assist the people in our community who need help. We are doing everything in our power to remain open, especially as demand increases due to the lapse in SNAP benefits,” says Tim Mather, Executive Director of West CAP.
“For sixty years, West CAP has leveraged federal funds for matching public and private dollars, but we do rely on critical federal dollars and we are seeing a disruption in our local programs as federal funds lapse. A pause in services, no matter how short, will be incredibly catastrophic for individuals and families in our community and across the country.”
West CAP is a trusted member of the local community, having served thousands of households for 60 years. Community Action Agencies like West CAP are known for providing tailored, effective programs that tackle the root causes of poverty. In addition to operating well-known programs like the Low-Income Heating and Energy Program (LIHEAP) and Weatherization, they also offer adult education programs, manage food assistance distribution across ten counties, and coordinate homeless intervention programs with in-home case management. In many areas, particularly the rural communities across west central Wisconsin, they may be the sole provider of programs that help individuals and families get on a path to self-sufficiency.
Community Action Agencies rely on the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), federal funding that enables communities to make local decisions about how to combat poverty. CSBG is foundational to Community Action Agencies; it not only funds tailored programs but sustains the staff and facilities necessary for efficient operations.
“In short, CSBG keeps the lights on at Community Action Agencies like West CAP. These funds are often the glue that makes Community Action Agencies so well equipped to effectively run programs like LIHEAP and Weatherization,” says Mather. “You may have never heard of CSBG, but now I fear the lapse in funds will make it painfully obvious just how important these funds are.”
West CAP has had to delay one of its key programs, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) due to the government shutdown. “Each year our agency gets flooded with phone calls come October 1st, the start of the heating season for energy assistance. Our staff have already processed 2585 applications this season. However, even if a household’s application is approved, the State of Wisconsin is not able to issue payments to utility companies on behalf of eligible households while the federal government is shut down. We anticipate that regular benefit payments will be paid (and applicants notified) once the federal government reopens. Energy assistance crisis payments are being processed and paid, as long as funding remains available. This delay is leaving households feeling uncertain and very vulnerable, especially as it gets colder.” Mather shares.
The Community Services Block Grant has long received bipartisan support. West CAP is hopeful that Congress and the President will shortly end the shutdown and continue to support CSBG so that we can quickly return Community Action Agencies to operating at full force.
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