County cuts Hope Alive's grant

You may have read in today's Frederick News Post that Hope Alive’s recommended $6,678 grant from Frederick County Grants to Human Service’s program was eliminated from the FY2011 County budget based on a 3-2 vote by the County Commissioners (Commissioners Gardner and Hagen voted against the cut). According to the News Post, Commissioner David Gray changed his vote yesterday to partially restore funding to the Frederick Arts Council and the Frederick County Hepatitis Clinic. We are advocating on our behalf – and ask that you help in this effort – to have Hope Alive’s $6,678 grant restored to the FY2011 County budget. Here’s why …

1. Hope Alive is a “first-tier” primary service provider for Frederick County's homeless population. Frederick County needs Hope Alive to serve the growing number of homeless families.
2. From January to April of 2010, Hope Alive saw a 36% increase in requests for services over the same period in 2009.
3. The County grant of $6,678 may only be 5.6% of our operating budget for family shelter services, however, the impact will be significant with our already strained operating budget that has prohibited us from operating at full capacity in 2010.
5. This grant amount represents 508 bednights that will not be available for Frederick County’s homeless women and their children.
6. We already have an underserved homeless population in Frederick County and this will further reduce available services to meet the desperate needs of homeless families.

We understand the County budget balanced before the cuts to nonprofits were made. These cuts go against Frederick County’s Grants to Human Services program recommendations. There was no appeal process or time for public comment for affected nonprofits.

Please help advocate for Hope Alive’s critically needed shelter services by contacting Commissioner David Gray by close of business Monday, May 24. We know that with God all things are possible. Thanks for your committed support to Hope Alive and the families who are struggling to survive right here in our own backyard. With your help, let’s watch what God can do! Until next week …

Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director