In January, mental health organizations were told their funding was being cut. A day later, that termination was rescinded. Here’s how local organizations reacted.
TOLEDO, Ohio — Editor’s note: This story was originally published by WTOL 11 media partner The Toledo Free Press. Click here to see the original story.
Coping with on-again, off-again federal funding
The whole chaotic mess was over in two days. But it threatened the consistency and security of critical services across the nation (and here in northwest Ohio), forcing social service agencies to rethink the basics of how they’re funded.
The first letter arrived very late on Jan. 13 without warning and with no explanation of what led up to it or what its repercussions might be. The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, cancelled up to 2,000 grants nationwide (valued at more than $2 billion) to mental health and drug addiction program providers, representing as much as a quarter of SAMHSA’s annual budget. Termination letters sent to nonprofits indicated the grants “no longer align” with the Trump administration’s priorities and would no longer be funded, effective immediately.
The SAMHSA program cuts represented almost $1.7 million in funding for programs in northwest Ohio. “These cuts are at the heart of our mental health and substance abuse safety net,” explained Deacon Dzierzawski, president of Epiphany Community Services in Swanton. “Communities would lose effective, evidence-based programming that is critical in addressing mental health and substance abuse issues. And the way HHS (the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) went about it was abhorrent. People will die because of this.”
Program cuts threatened all types of mental health and drug programs, including screening services, referral services, recovery houses and treatment programs. In addition to Epiphany Community Services (a national firm that helps communities to mitigate the local impact of mental illness and substance abuse), the cuts came to such local programs as Harbor, the Zeph Center and Sylvania Prevention Alliance.
The Zepf Center’s CEO Deb Flores said the cuts would have a projected loss of approximately $1.2 million, and “would have a devastating impact.” The Sylvania Prevention Alliance would be losing its STOP (Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking) Act Funding of $60,000 annually (with two years remaining) to curb underage drinking.
“My first thought was to reach out to staff (three full-time and three part-time employees), telling them we’d continue our services and they’d be safe in their jobs,” explained Torri Daggett, executive director of Sylvania Prevention Alliance. “Next was reaching out to our funders and board members.”
The second letter came the next day (Jan. 14), announcing that “termination of the funding communicated Tuesday [Jan. 13] is hereby rescinded. Your award will remain active under its original terms and conditions.”
“The decision initially induced fear of what do we do when it happens again,” said Dzierzawski. “The role of government is to meet the needs of its citizens where they are – and be consistent in doing so. Right now, the government is not being consistent.”
Dzierzawski said that the grant programs targeted for SAMHSA cuts are multi-year commitments, typically lasting four to five years. Programs funded by the organization are granted based on the purpose, goals and aims of the funding agency (SAMHSA), and were approved after a peer review process.
Within hours of the announced cuts, providers nationwide mobilized, distributing information to supporters, media and the community. National and local organizations impacted by the decision made the broad impact of cuts known. “These cuts would have disrupted staffing, housing supports, community education, and access to mental health and substance use disorder services,” said Flores.
At Sylvania Prevention Alliance, staff began planning for which programs they would keep going and which they’d have to put aside for a bit. “It was a shock, but it kick-started us to thinking how we move forward,” said Daggett. “I’m very proud of how we reacted. I’m sure it has made us stronger.”
But long-term considerations are a bit more intangible. Dzierzawski explained that funding is a three-legged stool, relying on local, state and federal funding that is consistent and reliable. “People expect these services to be there,” he said. “For us, communication is front and center all the time. We have to be better advocates for our consumers, relating the value and need to all the people, and how we are leveraging funding at all levels.”
Flores said, “We will continue to work with the local mental health board and state association to safeguard this vital care and ensure it remains available for the individuals and families who rely on it.”
Once funding was secured, “you didn’t have to worry about whether you’d lose it. Now there is uncertainty moving forward, waiting for the ‘shoe to drop’ and losing our funding,” explained Daggett. She expects that nonprofit funding may change because of this, including more diversification, local fundraisers and relationships with local organizations.
Dzierzawski is concerned about future efforts. “Could we be forcing providers into doing only the bare minimum of services?” he asked. “Could we be less apt to add programming that meets an emerging need, or more cautious to innovate?” Daggett is concerned about the workforce in the future too. “I hope it won’t stop anyone from building a career in this field,” she said.
“The level of uncertainty in the current federal administration should not be overlooked,” Dzierzawski said. “We can’t take what we were promised for granted.”