Human Services Agencies Running Out of Money

Republicans in the Pennsylvania Senate are preparing a veto override vote in an attempt to restore funding for community outreach programs. But some of those organizations have already run out of money, and are preparing to close up shop.
South Central Community Action Programs coordinates services for 23,000 people in Adams and Franklin Counties. It's been operating since 1965, but on Friday, Executive Director Megan Shreve is locking up the Gettysburg office's doors. The group has run out of money, because the government funding it relies on is being held up in the budget impasse.
Shreve says that means laying off 80 percent of her 108 staffers, and shutting down services like job placement counseling housing rehabilitation and child care assistance.

"When you see the human toll--when you're at the homeless shelter and you're looking at a family who is there because the dad had a heart attack and lost his job. And now they're in the homeless shelter because they couldn't pay for housing. And I'm supposed to tell them because we don't have a budget you don't have a place to stay? I have never been through anything as emotionally draining as this is."

Shreve recently found out SCCAP's homeless shelter will remain open, but only due to an interest-free loan provided by an individual. She points out the group's funding remains steady in both Republican and Democratic budgets--it just hasn't been authorized because their is no full budget in place.