Although Indianola and Sunflower County were spared the anticipated weather-related freeze that was expected to negatively impact the community, the area was hit with a funding freeze that will have a more prolonged effect on one local agency.
Last week, the Mississippi Department of Human Services, which funds Families First for Mississippi, froze federal grant resources and that forced the immediate closing of the Indianola Families First Center and nine others including sites in Greenville, Cleveland, Clarksdale and Tunica effective today.
According to the Tupelo Daily Journal, the freeze affects $5.6 million of the $10.6 million budgeted to Families First and also brought an end to $4.9 million in grant monies that would have gone through Families First to over 20 of their partners. “They’re having to scale back because of that $5-million deficit and they are closing 10 out of 18 centers,” said Ben Gaston, Indianola center director.
Although the government shutdown and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program is reportedly being used as an excuse, Gaston said, “TANF is fully funded through June of 2019, so the money was there. I don’t know what’s going on at DHS where they had to cut us.”
Gaston said he asked if it was going to be a temporary closure and was told that it was not. “It’s just a shame,” he said, “If it was just going to be a short-term closure my folks were willing to work for free to take care of their clients.”
The Indianola center opened early in 2018 and according to Gaston, in just that short time, they had already served 1,400 clients including five students who graduated through their New Learning Resource Online program. The center employed six full-time staff members, who will now be out of a job.
Gaston said Families First for Mississippi was notified of the decision last Wednesday and they informed him by email Friday night at 6 p.m.
Although the loss of employment is major, it’s the center’s clients who will suffer the most. “It’s kind of sad, sad for the community,” said Gaston.
In the short time that the center has been open, they have established meaningful partnerships with the Sunflower County Consolidated School District and other local organizations including a group in Drew, led by District 5 Supervisor Gloria Dickerson.
Gaston said the municipal, chancery and circuit courts have also been very supportive of their programs that provide services to the community. He was on the agenda to address the Indianola Board of Aldermen about one such service on Monday, but that was scratched.
In addition, the center was about to initiate the Smart Start program through DHS for SNAP participants and had just started an adult addiction education program, “We were having good success with that,” Gaston said.
Although the office is scheduled to close at the end of business on today, Gaston said they had to scramble to help some clients because their computers and technology equipment was being picked up on Tuesday.
In the three counties they serve, Gaston said that there are about 25 students trying to graduate through their NLRO program. “I’m transferring them to Greenwood, New Summit School is over there and they have the same program,” he said.
Gaston said he will also transfer the persons participating in their adult addiction program to Greenwood, but as for the other programs and services, he will not be able to help with those. “We had a lot of things going, it’s just a shame we got shut down,” Gaston said.
Gaston asserts that he has really enjoyed working with his staff and the community and if there was something that could be done he would be doing it.
Only the eight original Families First centers in northeast Mississippi, plus the Calhoun City center, which opened in the early part of last week, will remain open.
