Michiana will be impacted by the president's proposed budget plan
Big cuts, big implications. The Trump administration's new proposed budget would severely affect, or eliminate, about 62 agencies and programs.
The affects of the proposed budget cuts are real in Michiana.
Programs are trying to figure out just how big of a loss this would be to the community.
Even though nothing has been approved, or set in stone just yet, all are nervous with the potential fallout of the President's plan.
For Linda Baechle, the President and CEO of the YWCA of North Central Indiana, it means putting her clients in danger.
"I just can't imagine what it would be like to have to turn women and children away who were in abusive relationship," she says. "We're really their last resort."
The Department of Justice could see a loss of $700 million. That means the YWCA would lose about $1 million in funding each year. Money that would supports their domestic violence, dating violence, and date rape services.
Baechle doesn't know how they would be able to recover.
"It's hard to plan for what you would do to cover a million dollar deficit every year. You know, that's a pretty tall order, and I'm not sure how we'd be able to do it," she says.
George Hawthorne is thinking the same thing. He's the Director of Nutrition and Transportation for REAL services, including the Meals on Wheels program.
He's just trying to process it all.
"It's not a good thing to have to go through. I'm looking at it and saying to myself, I'm going to find a way to feed as many clients as I possibly can," Hawthorne says. "I do not want to see anyone go hungry."
Their funding could be cut by 16%, equating to $120,000.
That's roughly 24,000 meals a year.
Meals that Hawthorne says helps keep their clients healthy, and saves taxpayers money.
"By keeping them healthier, that means we're able to save money because some of the clients are on Medicare," he explains. "If they don't have to spend additional Medicare dollars being in the hospital, that saves all of us money as well."
And then there's potential cuts to public broadcasting, which could affect Michiana's PBS station, WNIT.
The President and General Manager, Greg Giczi, telling ABC57 in a statement:
"[We're] devastated to learn the magnitude of the proposed funding cuts in the President's budget to public broadcasting, the Arts, and so many other organizations which provide important services to our citizens...No organization can absorb such a financial blow without it having a direct impact on those we serve."
But one thing is helping these programs hold on to hope that everything will be okay: the community.
Both YWCA and REAL services praised the donations and volunteers in Michiana that help make these programs continue, saying rely on the help of the community.