Cuts to LIHEAP are not the only proposals made in Obama’s Budget Plan that could harm vulnerable populations. Obama’s Budget Plan also includes a cut in spending to community service block grants, grants that allocate federal funding to address poverty in communities across the country. The Budget Plan would reduce spending for these community service grants from $700 million to $350 million at a time when unemployment and poverty levels are on the rise.
Agencies across the nation will find it challenging to provide services if the funding is halved. Here in Delaware County, many social service agencies receive these funds to provide services such as employment training, housing services, energy services, as well as food assistance and childcare. Many residents here in Pennsylvania and Delaware County need the services that these organizations provide, especially in these times of economic hardship. Although the majority of community action agencies receive other sources of funding, the federal funding plays a large part in sustaining the services they offer. Thus cutting their funding could prove to have a detrimental effect on low-income families nationally and here in Delaware County.
To learn more, please refer to:
The President’s Budget Proposal
Community Service Block Grants Site
And please contact your senator or representative about these cuts and their possible effect on our community!
No comments:
Post a Comment