Shutdown could affect programs
To the Editor:
Mountain Projects is proud to be a trusted Community Action Agency, serving Haywood and Jackson counties since 1965. Families and individuals rely on our programs each day for support, opportunity, and stability — and our doors must remain open to serve them.
Federal funds are woven into the foundation of Mountain Projects, and we’re increasingly concerned about what will happen locally if Congress doesn’t reopen. Some will be surprised to learn how deeply federal programs are connected to the services that help our neighbors every day.
The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), founded in 1974, is essential to our operations. It gives us the flexibility and local decision-making we need to prevent poverty and respond to the unique needs of our community. A delay in these funds would directly impact our ability to provide critical assistance to operate GED assistance, workforce training, food assistance and crisis services.
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides heating and cooling assistance. It keeps energy costs down for disadvantaged households across our community. Similarly, the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) helps families insulate and ventilate their homes, improving safety and reducing cold-weather heating costs. It’s hard to imagine what winter would look like without LIHEAP and Weatherization.
As a Community Action Agency, we are also uniquely positioned to connect with families and operate programs such as Head Start, which has provided high-quality early childhood education for hard-working families across Haywood and Jackson counties since 1965. Head Start grants are set to lapse on November 1st, and if that happens, there will be serious consequences for the 200 families who depend on our centers for stability and care.
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At Mountain Projects we strive to tell stories of our clients participating in these programs because the programs change people's lives. We help alleviate poverty and put many on a course to economic productivity. These programs not only stabilize families, they stabilize schools and entire communities.
Our work doesn’t stop there. Mountain Projects also supports our neighbors through Affordable Health Insurance Counseling, the popular Haywood Senior Services Center, Haywood Public Transit, Section 8 Housing, and Congregate Nutrition, through which we serve more than 20,000 people each year.
Workers who were laid off at the paper mill? Our staff supported retraining for many who transitioned from mill work to commercial truck driving, medical assisting and other jobs, and we helped mill families secure ongoing health insurance. We step up when we are needed.
The assistance we provide has been long recognized as bipartisan — helping families move forward, strengthening local economies, and building stronger communities. All of this depends on funding. We do our best to ensure that you understand that part of your federal tax dollars support these programs.
We’re hopeful we can continue serving Haywood and Jackson counties, just as we have for six decades. For updates on our programs, please visit us on our social media pages or on our website at mountainprojects.org.
Si Simmons
Executive Director
Mountain Projects
