BOZEMAN — If you’ve been following news headlines, you’ve likely heard about the potential federal budgets cuts that could affect communities across the United States, including here in Montana.
But what would those cuts actually mean? And how are vital nonprofits, like the HRDC, preparing to respond?
"We have weathered a lot of changes at the federal level. We’re 50 years old. We’ve survived a lot of different administrations and different priorities at the federal level," says CEO, Heather Grenier.
Grenier has been with the HRDC for nearly half that time. She explains that in nearly 25 years with the nonprofit, they have worked to reduce its reliance on federal funding—which once sat at nearly 70%.
"And so now, that’s closer to about 40, 41%," she says.
Grenier explains that federal funding is highly regulated and dispersed only after specific services have been completed.
Services that over 13,000 people across southwest Montana rely on every year.
"And so, it impacts a multitude of our programs, and is interwoven in every program, some in very small and some in significant ways, depending on the type of program and funding sources available," Grenier says.
HRDC stands for Human Resource Development Council. Their mission; to prevent poverty and empower communities through education, healthcare, and more.
WATCH: Communities speak up over their concern of federal budget cuts
19 of these services stand to be impacted by federal cuts with vulnerable dependents including seniors and foster youth.
And Grenier says—with federal changes to SNAP and Medicaid—an indirect impact could result in greater need for their programs.
"There are some other federal funding programs that are expected to be reduced or eliminated that would have some additional compounding effects on the need for our services," she says.
She adds that staff have been scenario planning for any level of budget cuts, and remain optimistic.
"Our magic really happens at the local level. We’re locally driven, we have a lot of local partners. And it’s that local work and partnerships that really make things happen and endure whatever other external factors occur." says Grenier.
Check out their website for details on how to stay updated with HRDC.
"We’re really trying to focus on that. Building and strengthening the partnerships we do have so we can build that resilience," says Grenier.
