United Way of Pennsylvania Broadcasts the Needs of PA Nonprofits

Third and State, a Pennsylvania public policy blog, featured an article on United Way of Pennsylvania’s efforts in showing the demand for nonprofits’ services as well as the effects that budget cuts have had. United Way of Pennsylvania conducted a survey which revealed that 4 out of 5 nonprofits contend that the recession increased demand. Unfortunately, the recession also included a decrease in donations, as well as significant budget cuts. That means a lack of funding for important social services in a time when they’re needed most. With the upcoming federal budget as well as state budget, there is a serious concern amongst nonprofits that they will not be equipped to provide services to many individuals and families, services that these people greatly need. In fact, according to UWP’s survey, over a third of social service agencies surveyed had to turn away people for services and almost 20% had to revoke certain services. In these hard economic times, this is devastating for thousands of Pennsylvanians!

Here in Delaware County, nonprofits are also experiencing the pressure of an increased demand and decreased funding. With more cuts being proposed, it looks like the pressure will only increase. In some areas where the population in poverty is almost at 30%, individuals need and rely on the services that these organizations provide for basic necessities such as food or shelter. If nonprofits in Pennsylvania have to revoke services and turn people away, then that also leaves people in Pennsylvania, which includes Delaware County, who are in need with nowhere else to turn and this has a devastating effect on many of our fellow citizens’ quality of life.

Please take a look at United Way of Pennsylvania’s Survey to see the pressure nonprofits have been facing to provide much needed services.

An Important Guest Blog on the Americorps Program

Anna Walker is a first year law student at the University of Michigan Law School. Last year she served as an Americorps VISTA with Pathways PA and United Way of Southeast Delaware County. Before her year with AmeriCorps, she attended Temple University and graduated with a BA in Political Science and Economics.

It upsets and troubles me that the House last Friday approved a Federal Budget that abjectly ignores the needs of struggling families across the country. Included in the list of education and social service programs to be cut by the $61-billion-budget-purge are all AmeriCorps programs including 75,000 AmeriCorps services positions nationwide.

Without AmeriCorps, communities across the country will become victims of an overwhelming loss of resources and assistance, such as education, job development, financial literacy classes, free tax preparation, heat and utility aid, health care, childcare, food support, housing assistance, and much more. In Pennsylvania alone, there are 3,700 AmeriCorps volunteers currently working to improve the lives of residents and communities across the commonwealth.

As a former AmeriCorps volunteer, I am one of more than 34,000 Pennsylvania residents who have served more than 43 million hours in AmeriCorps programs since AmeriCorps’ foundation in 1994. AmeriCorps programs, which include AmeriCorps VISTA and AmeriCorps NCCC (N-triple-C), attract men and women between the ages of 18 and 24 to service positions aimed at empowering individuals and lifting communities out of poverty. In exchange, AmeriCorps volunteers receive a small living allowance, food stamps, and an education award.

During my VISTA year, I served the Greater Philadelphia area through my work with PathWays PA and the United Way of Southeast Delaware County. I worked as a tax coordinator and a tax preparer, as an advocate for families and for low-income individuals, as a community builder and a resource developer, as a financial educator and a grant writer, as a community representative and a community participant, as a reporter and a listener, as a social networker, and finally, as friend and a coworker.

I urge every employee, board member, and beneficiary of an organization that has ever hosted an AmeriCorps volunteer like me to ask your representatives to think twice about eliminating such an important service for individuals and communities our country. Not only do AmeriCorps programs ensure sustainable service programs, but they also perpetuate the spirit of service among young leaders of our Nation. Destroying such a crucial and influential program will not only hurt Americans today, but also weaken our nation in the future. Please act now. Tell Congress to save AmeriCorps.

For more information on Americorps please visit the Americorps site: http://www.americorps.gov/

Obama's Budget Proposal and Community Service Block Grants

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!

Obama's Budget Proposal and LIHEAP

This past week Obama unveiled his budget plan for 2012 with the plan to significantly reduce the federal deficit as well as cut domestic spending. Obama revealed his plan with bipartisan ambitions: stating that both parties will need to work together in order to achieve a lower federal deficit. Both Democrats and Republicans have concerns over this new budget plan, but there are some major concerns for many citizens who either provide or receive various social services. One of the proposed cuts to program spending was the topic of a past blog series: the Low Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program. Obama’s Budget plan would reduce spending for LIHEAP to 2.57 billion from 5.1 billion in 2009. LIHEAP advocates estimate that this will leave 3.5 million households without the energy assistance they need. This could include many households in Delaware County, where many residents struggle to make ends meet and end up having to sacrifice having a warm home in order to put food on the table. This budget cut will end up affecting some of the most vulnerable members of the United States population, as well as the population here in Delaware County.

Obama’s Budget plan is a proposal; here in the United States Congress adds their own stipulations to the Budget and must approve it, as well as receive the President’s approval after making changes. This week we will describe some of the proposals made by Obama and what they will mean for residents of Delaware County, but it is up to you to fully understand what the budget is and how it will affect you. Thus United Way encourages you to take action! Learn more about what the budget is and does and speak with your state senator or representative to advocate for what you believe should be included in the federal budget.