Financial Fallout: Economic problems put shelters at risk

The near future of local homeless shelters could be in jeopardy.

The Prince William County Board of Supervisors received recommendations from its various departments last month with each department proposing a budget that included a 10 percent, 20 percent and 33 percent cut in funding.

Under the best case scenario, a 10 percent cut could mean the closing of the emergency winter shelter on Potomac Mills Road in Woodbridge.

In the 20 percent scenario, the year-round Hilda Barg Homeless Prevention Center in Woodbridge could shut its doors. And funding for the 15-bed Action in The Community Through Service and Manassas-based Securing Emergency Resources through Volunteer Efforts shelters could be eliminated under the 33 percent scenario.

The funding cuts -- if they happen -- would not take effect until next July. While Social Services Department spokesperson Debbie Carter made it clear that cuts could be made elsewhere in the department, those directly involved with the shelters are a little nervous.

"The county is not required to have a certain number of shelters," said Hilda Barg Center Director Gayle Sanders. "It's a shame when we most need it, that it would be on the list [to cut]."

Just last month, 200 new people registered to live at the center, which is already near capacity. The winter shelter, which opens each November, is also close to capacity. The ACTS and SERVE shelters are turning away 300 and 120 individuals a month, respectively.

According to Prince William County Homeless Services Coordinator Patricia Johanson, there are nearly a third more people using the winter shelter than this time last year. Johanson said it's not the recent cold weather but the overall need that has driven these individuals to the shelter.

Last week, county representatives met with the various non-profit organizations and were informed of the potential cuts. ACTS executive director Frances
Harris said she expects to have at least some funding taken away even if the shelters aren't closed.

More than 60 percent of ACTS' annual shelter budget of $227,428 comes from county coffers. ACTS also receives nearly $50,000 annually to support a transitional living program -- which is also in jeopardy of being axed.

SERVE receives nearly $100,000 a year from the county to run its 60-bed shelter. The removal of that funding along with the fact that holiday giving is down 54 percent at SERVE would be tough to take, said President Cheri Villa.

"We really do need to rally as a community," Villa said.

According to Sanders, there are a variety of reasons why people are turning to shelters. Many have retail jobs but can't afford to live in the area due to the high prices of apartments, said Sanders.

The Hilda Barg Center typically allows homeless individuals or families to stay 30 days, although that timeline could be extended to up to 51 days. Last fiscal year, it served 323 individuals, 159 of them children.

Fifty-four percent of adults were employed when they left the center, compared with 32 percent when they walked in the door.

Regardless of what happens come next budget season, Harris expects to see the consequences of the extended economic funk for years to come.

"Even if the economy improves a great deal in the next two years, it is always more difficult to dig out of debt than it is to get into financial difficulties, so the fallout would linger for a few years for many people," Harris said.

Supervisor Frank J. Principi, D-Woodbridge, is optimistic that the shelters will stay open and that county leaders need to think of other alternatives to saving money in tough economic times.

"I think we define ourselves as a community, as a people, in our ability to help others," Principi said. "And when we get to a point where the economy is having such a direct impact on people's quality of life, we need to find ways of addressing that in the short term. And closing the shelters would be absolutely the wrong thing to do."

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.