Domestic shelters facing federal shutdown impacts
With her four children, the woman had recently left an abusive marriage. She was behind on her rent. And, as an employee of the Department of Homeland Security in Philadelphia for nearly two decades, she is one of hundreds of thousands of federal workers who are furloughed during the government shutdown.
She called the Lutheran Settlement House on Tuesday looking for help. The nonprofit in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood was able to give her $2,300 toward back rent and food from its pantry.
But the nonprofit also relies on money from the federal government, specifically the $150,000 every quarter the government reimburses it for its work providing shelter, support for domestic violence survivors, and more. That means the group is fronting the funds this quarter with no guarantee of when it will get the money.
As the federal government shutdown continues, those who operate programs that rely on federal funds to aid vulnerable populations are starting to worry. That includes shelters women turn to when they face violence at home. Some area domestic violence shelters say they could have to cut back services if the partial government shutdown drags on.
Advocates for survivors of domestic abuse worry their clients, who often leave unsafe households with only their children and the clothes on their backs, could decide to go back to abusive partners if they can no longer rely on their own paycheck from a federal job, or if federal food assistance programs run out of money.
Lutheran Settlement House is “just starting to feel” the effects of the shutdown as more people call to ask for help paying rent, said Erica Zaveloff, director of development. Employees are preparing to spend a higher share of funds to keep the food pantry stocked as they anticipate increased need. If reimbursements don’t come, the nonprofit could eventually furlough its own workers.
“We do a lot of work with people in crisis. If we remove our services for a while, it will really impact people’s safety and their ability to be safe in their homes and rebuild their lives successfully,” Zaveloff said. “It’s really scary to think about.”
Julie Bancroft, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said most programs are still able to draw down their grant funds, which national advocates are advising them to do to, in case the shutdown lingers. Smaller, rural shelters will be the first to take a hit, and may soon have to start scaling back services and staff, Bancroft said.
The uncertainty of when the shutdown will end is unnerving to agencies of all sizes, including larger ones in the cities.
“Primarily the biggest concern for agencies like Women Against Abuse and our clients is a climate of instability and total inability to plan for the future,” said Elise Scioscia, director of policy and prevention for what is one of Philadelphia’s largest domestic violence agencies.
Both Women Against Abuse and the Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County, a nonprofit that serves victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and other crimes, are looking to diverse funding sources to weather the shutdown, and similar crises should they arise. The Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County may need to ask foundations and private donors for help should the shutdown continue to keep services running, said Christine Zaccarelli, chief executive officer.
Lori Sywensky, executive director of Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley, said the shutdown is not as much of a financial concern to the nonprofit because grants are paid quarterly. She is more concerned about how the shutdown will impact a victim’s ability to live apart from their abuser.
Many rely on the federal food stamp program and housing vouchers through the Housing and Urban Development’s Section 8 program, Sywensky said. If those programs run out of funding, she said, that could impact a victim who left a dangerous abuser.
She said she doesn’t want to come off as “alarmist” because the shutdown doesn’t seem to be weighing heavily on the minds of Turning Point’s clients yet, but it is an issue that will need to be addressed if the shutdown continues.
Reporter Nicole Radzievich of The Morning Call contributed to this story.