As the federal government shutdown continues, some organizations in western Massachusetts who receive federal funds have been preparing for this.
Andrew Morehouse, the executive director of the Chicopee-based organization, Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, said they've already used funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to purchase food for the next several months, so they are not affected by the shutdown. But they believe the need will increase as the federal government scales back social safety nets, he said.
"We're providing food assistance to more than 120,000 people every month. And we anticipate that that number will increase if not from the government shutdown, from what appears to be elevated prices for some time to come. We don't know the impact of all of the Trump tariffs yet," Morehouse said.
Morehouse also said the rollback of SNAP benefits have not gone into effect yet, but the Food Bank will be posting updates on new eligibility requirements as they receive them from the federal government.
Keith Fairey, the CEO of Springfield-based housing assistance agency, Way Finders, spoke at a panel discussion Wednesday on housing trends in Western Massachusetts. He said the loss of federal funding streams will eventually impact local residents.
“About 20 per-cent of our funding is federal. If we get to the point where we don't have those resources flowing... lets go through he whole chain: people wont be able to pay their rent, landlords wont get their money, they won't be able to pay for their bills, and it creates a whole cascade,” Fairey said.
Other members of the panel said Section 8 rental vouchers are a federally funded resource and could be a disruption if the money isn't flowing. An extended shutdown could also derail housing projects currently in development.