Since Sept. 11, fundraising has been a difficult task for social service agencies.
Several agencies report a drop in funding combined with greater need since the terrorist attacks and current economic recession.
“So many people have donated money to the rescue and recovery efforts that other organizations have already seen reductions,” said Alexander Brown, director of North Shore Senior Services.
Amid this, Evanston’s tool for providing social services not offered by the city – the Community Purchased Services fund – may lose more than 30 percent of its funding if City Council approves the proposed budget for the 2002-03 fiscal year. This year’s budget includes an almost $4 million deficit, and the council already has removed more than $600,000 in proposed cuts from consideration.
City Manager Roger Crum recommended in his budget reducing the program’s total funding from $739,500 to $512,900 – a $226,600 difference. The fund allocates money to 13 social service organizations helping Evanston residents in areas from AIDS to childcare to senior services.
The funding gives specific help to residents and saves money by privatizing services that can be run for less money by these nonprofit organizations, said Jay Terry, director of health and human services.
City money has been an important source of funding to the the Youth Job Center of Evanston. According to Ann Jennett, the recently retired executive director of the center, Evanston’s reputation makes fund-raising with major corporations difficult.
“Most of the foundations and corporations are located in Chicago, where Evanston is thought of as wealthy and doesn’t get as much (in donations),” Jennett said.
The center provides support and placement to about 1,100 at-risk youth who do not have the economic resources to obtain and sustain employment, said James Sibley, the new executive director. In addition to placing young people in jobs, the center counsels and supports clients to help them maintain employment. One recent success story serves as a project coordinator for Family Focus, another social service agency.
The $17,000 the center receives from the community fund does not have a huge impact but could affect service, Jennett said. Last spring the center was running a deficit and nearly eliminated one of its seven full time positions – a possibility, Jennett said, that could arise again with budget cuts.
“We operate so close to the edge that any cut would definitely hurt us,” Jennett said.
North Shore Senior Services is another agency that does not depend solely on the program’s funding but could see a reduction in service.
“One thing we’ve never had is a waiting list,” Brown said. With funding cuts, Brown said this could be a possibility.
The agency helps about 2,000 senior citizens in Evanston, 84 percent of whom are below the poverty level. It provides case management counseling to seniors for such issues as finding a doctor and landlord relations.
Only 3 percent of the agency’s budget comes from the Community Purchased Services fund, but the $11,000 it does receive has a large effect on service in Evanston.
The largest agency funded by the program is Child Care Network of Evanston. For the previous year, the city funded the agency at $118,000, which it used to provide money for childcare to families ineligible for welfare subsidies, said Martha Arntson, the agency’s executive director.
Money from the city constitutes the majority of funding for the agency and allows it to provide aid to low-income families recently off welfare.
“If we don’t receive these funds we have 64 children and 46 families funded through February that will be affected,” Arntson said.
The council has until Feb. 28 to decide how much the fund will receive but will discuss the topic at the Feb. 9 budget workshop. Terry said until the council gives some indication of what the funding will be like, the Human Services Committee will not be able to allocate funding for the agencies.
