OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) – Local organizations are concerned about the future due to the federal funding freeze. Reporter Greta Goede talked with Heartland Family Service about how it impacts the organization and the community.
- Local organizations are unsure what is going to happen moving forward.
- The freeze could lead to increased challenges in providing essential services to vulnerable populations.
- Heartland Family Service staff is not only concerned for their clients, but as well as themselves.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Employees at Heartland Family Service said they are worried, not only about continuing to help people in our community, but also what the future looks like for them.
"There nothing that creates more stress than uncertainty,"CEO John Jeanetta said.
Jeanetta spent Tuesday morning trying to figure out how to stretch money until there is more clarity on how the organization can be reimbursed following the federal funding freeze.
“All I do is manage my emotions because I’m the leader of this organization and I want to provide some assurance and some level of calm for the people that work here,” he said. “This is very stressful but what can I do now so the organization can get through it."
The news was shocking Jeanetta said, having all the federal grant money the organization relies on frozen without warning.
He's hoping things will get sorted out before it impacts operations, but if operations are affected, many neighbors who rely on their services will be impacted he said.
“It will have a devastating impact. Some of the most vulnerable people in our community are accessing our services,” he said.
Heartland Family Service staff is not only concerned for their clients but also themselves, according to Jeanetta.
“They don't know if they are going to get a paycheck and if they don't get a paycheck how are they going to live, so it has a cascading impact,” he said.
The organization is working on strategies to be able to continue its work for as long as it takes things to get resolved, according to Jeanetta.
