TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The Kearney Center is facing a deficit of $900,000.
In response, the operating organization, Connecting Everyone With Second Chances, is asking the city and county for $600,000 in emergency funding.
Within the last two months, three different funding sources The Kearney Center greatly relies on were cut, creating a gap in the budget that won't allow them to serve the needs of the homeless community.
The main loss comes from the loss of two state grants.
Following the Parkland shooting, state funds were relocated to help the efforts of hardening schools across Florida. This resulted in smaller agencies, like CESC, being cut from the budget.
Due to the needs of the state funding going in a different direction, the 400 people The Kearney Center serves on any given night are the ones facing true losses.
"If CESC is not able to find financial funding to help support the way we've provided services historically, we will have a profound impact in our inability to provide continuous basic needs service to the most vulnerable in our community," said Monique Ellsworth, the executive director of Connecting Everyone With Second Chances.
Ellsworth says even though The Kearney Center has 250 beds, they've never turned someone in need away.
That will change if the organization can't make up for the huge budget loss.
