With talk of a federal grant and loan freeze, plus major government spending cuts on the horizon, Caring Connection in Benton Harbor is calling on everyone to understand how non-profits could be affected.
The organization has put out a statement making its worries clear, saying people will be hurt if funding is cut off. CEO Robin McGinnis tells us the most vulnerable are at risk. For example, the women and children who stay at Caring Connection’s 28-bed domestic violence shelter.
“People come to us and are scared to death,” McGinnis said. “They’re frightened, they’re basically homeless. We provide everything at no cost for anyone who needs our service and needs an emergency safe environment for themselves and or their children.”
McGinnis says the Caring Connection adult day centers, which care for patients with dementia or mental illness during the day, are also threatened.
McGinnis has been talking with others in the non-profit community since the Trump grant freeze was announced and then rescinded.
“Everybody’s scared. I’ve been talking to some of our funders as well, our foundations. As I mentioned, 80% of our funding comes as a pass-through from the government. So the other 20%, it’s either donors or it’s foundation money. But our foundation, our private foundations, have all been reaching out to see what they can do to support us.”
McGinnis says no Caring Connection services have yet been affected, but there have been harrowing moments since the federal grant freeze was announced. She says if such a freeze were to happen, Caring Connection would have to shut down.
With looming cuts, possibly to Medicaid or Medicare, McGinnis says this is about real people. She’s reached out to members of Congress and only gotten vague statements. McGinnis urges everyone to reach out to their member of Congress.
You can see the full statement released Monday by Caring Connections below.
