Column: Live United, by Ann Austin

There has been a great deal of discussion about the effects of a state government shutdown. People who have been reading the excellent coverage in the Tribune are aware of local county programs that would have been impacted if a decision was not reached by July 15. I am writing this message before that day and hope the situation has been resolved. But in the case that it isn’t, here are some more information about how local programs will be affected:

Following the Tribune coverage, you are aware the local Crime Victim’s Crisis Center and Domestic Abuse Project staff have received letters indicating their programs would be closed on July 15. This means that women and children who are seeking to leave a dangerous living situation, receive help with restraining orders or are looking for other community resources to support them, may not have anyone to turn to. It also means that individuals who are in programs to learn how to stop the cycle of abuse, will no longer receive education and support in their efforts.

You may be aware the local Semcac office is closed at this time. Emergency services such as crisis financial assistance, energy assistance and weatherization are unavailable. This is a concern at any time of the year, especially since the economy is still struggling to get back on its feet, but the situation will become more concerning as we head into the cold months when many families and individuals rely on the energy assistance program to get them through the high-cost heating season.

The programs that United Way supports such as the homeless shelter and Senior Dining as well as the Meals on Wheels program are still operating.

The Children’s Center has been faced with cuts to child care assistance. This impacts all child care providers in the community. Unfortunately many of the providers have had to turn families away if they have their childcare supplemented with child care assistance funds from the state. The Children’s Center has worked to leverage funds and make the best use of the resources and staff they have so they can continue to provide families with quality care.

Organizations such as the Parenting Resource Center and Lutheran Social Service are also being impacted by state funding cuts. They are currently evaluating how to continue to be effective with the services they provide while being frugal and leveraging other funding sources. Other organizations that don’t receive direct funding from the state are seeing increased visits or the clients they serve experienced a cut in services, which has made life increasingly difficult for them, both physically and emotionally.

Since 2008, when the economy started to show significant symptoms of decline, there was talk about how “uncertainty was the new norm.” We keep being faced with uncertainties — in the stock market, housing market, job availability, healthcare plans, government systems, etc.

This can be a daunting time and I admit that I certainly didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I started at the United Way in August of 2008. In the same measure, these challenges are serving to bring us closer and determine what we know to be true and what we value in our lives and in our community.

I like this message from Hubert H. Humphrey, one of Minnesota’s great leaders: “I think the worst thing this nation could do for humanity would be to leave any uncertainty as to our will, our purpose and our capacity to carry out our purpose.”

We may not be certain what will happen in our state, our nation or the world. But we can be certain how we choose to act and what purpose we will fulfill. I encourage you to search your heart to discover what your purpose is, then act on it. Your voice needs to be heard.

Ann Austin is the executive director for the United Way of Freeborn County.