Youth On Their Own supports the high school graduation and continued success of youth experiencing homelessness in Pima County. Image: Youth On Their Own sign
Looming federal funding cuts are threatening social services being offered by Southern Arizona nonprofits.
On Wednesday, a coalition of organizations held a joint conference at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona to voice concerns and call on Congress to protect funds allocated to food assistance programs, education, childcare, elderly services and more that is offered by nonprofits like Youth on Their Own, Casa de los Niños, JobPath, Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation, the YWCA and CODAC.
Daniel Barden, chief clinical officer with the provider said 85% of CODAC’s budget relies on federal funding.
“We have to start prioritizing what we can do for members, we have to start accessing services that other people can do for members with their funding. We don’t really know what those cuts are going to look like yet,” Barden said.
CODAC offers healthcare and treatment for mental illness, substance misuse and trauma and relies on federal block grants and Medicaid funding that’s currently at risk.
As a way to mediate whatever the outcome may be in President Trump’s "Big Beautiful Bill," the organization has started to enhance its partnerships.
Adelita Grijalva who is a board member of the YWCA of Southern Arizona echoed that cuts to Medicaid whether through direct funding reductions, work requirements or the elimination of expansion funding could be devastating for organizations.
“These kinds of funding cuts could mean 50,70% of some nonprofit organizations’ budgets and if that’s the case, there’s no way to sustain those kinds of losses,” Grijalva said.
The CD7 candidate said that even a $50 increase could mean the difference between maintaining coverage and dropping it.
The Senate is facing a July 4th deadline to pass its reconciliation bill.
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