Federal funding threatens West Side services

By Craig Learn and Taylor Steinberg
Bengal News Reporters
 Imagine thousands of workers being ripped away from organizations that could possibly collapse without them. That is what will happen if the federal government passes a critical bill.
 Currently, there is a resolution budget bill that could cut nearly $60 billion in federal funding for the remainder of 2011. This bill has already been passed in the House of Representatives, and now the Senate will vote within the next two weeks on whether federal funded organizations, like the Corporation for National and Community Service, the parent agency for AmeriCorps programs is ended mid-year.
 This could disable many West Side organizations and businesses that utilize AmeriCorps workers, such as the New To You thrift store on Grant Street. New To You sells used household furniture, appliances and clothing at affordable prices.
 Rose Gandy, an AmeriCorps worker for New To You, thinks AmeriCorps is misunderstood.

Shoppers at the New To You store on Niagara Street

 “ I think AmeriCorps are underrated, they really need for people to understand what really good deeds they do for the community,” she said.
 Kim DeFlyer, executive director for New To You, worked with AmeriCorps for three years prior to her current job and feels that AmeriCorps is needed.
 “Through those three years in AmeriCorps, it allowed me to get a job, understand a culture I don’t live in and then developed my skills,” DeFlyer said. “I think it cultivates this culture of people that are bringing services to areas that need it.”
 DeFlyer said she does not know if her business could afford to keep Gandy if AmeriCorps was not paying for her services.
 Western New York AmeriCorps and Buffalo AmeriCorps released a press release stating that this is more than politics; it is a culture that could vanish on the West Side.
 “Hundreds of non-profits, schools, and educational organizations would be damaged by the elimination of AmeriCorps funding in Western New York, with some valuable non-profits possibly left unable to operate. These non-profits provide healthcare services to needy families on the West Side, they feed our neighbors in hard times, they provide a place for the homeless to escape our freezing weather, and they provide education to our children.” said Mark P. Lazzara, chief executive officer of WNY AmeriCorps.
 “These are not luxuries, these are basic human needs. These are basic human rights.”
 One of the educational services that make use of AmeriCorps workers to teach youth is the Jericho Road Ministries. The Focused Learning for Youth, a service offered by JRM, uses four AmeriCorps employees who assist middle school refugee students by helping them to improve their educational skills.
 With the FLY program using primarily AmeriCorps workers, the program is in danger of shutting down.
 “If AmeriCorps ended now, or even next year, then we would lose four out of five of our FLY staff. The success of FLY has to do with a low supervisor-child ratio,” said Suzy Derksen, the program support coordinator for JRM. “Our AmeriCorps volunteers are very one-on-one with helping kids improve reading and writing skills, doing their homework and learning science experiments.”
 Erika Grande, the program coordinator for FLY, could potentially be the only staff member remaining. Although the staff is necessary to run the program, the children receiving the services are the main factor.
 “There would be thirty refugee kids who would fall through the cracks of the school system, said Derksen. “Thirty refugee kids would not be able to get the extra support they need to succeed well in the Buffalo school system.”
 People United for Sustainable Housing is another organization that utilizes workers from AmeriCorps. Whitney Yax, another AmeriCorps worker, believes this too is not good for the community.
 “I think altogether there is hundreds of AmeriCorps that serve in this area, not just at PUSH, but I think it would make a really significant negative impact on tons of non-profit organizations around the area,” Yax said.
 Aaron Bartley, executive director for PUSH Buffalo said this bill would hurt his organization and the amount of AmeriCorps workers he has.
Aaron Bartley talks about the effect AmeriCorps has on PUSH:

 For Gandy, it is not about the money.
 “Even the money is not really what boosts me in here, I get a very good pleasure out of being able to help somebody,” she said. “I don’t have the money to put it on the table and say ‘here do what you got to do’ so my services are valuable as well. I may have been able to make a couple more dollars but I need to feel good about what I’m doing.”
 DeFlyer added that AmeriCorps won’t go down with out a fight.
 “We see the big protests going on around the teachers union, using their voice,” she said. “I think there would be a lot of Corps members that would want to have their voice heard on this one.”

Edited by Max Borsuk and Becky Ebert