The federal government has been shut down for two weeks, and the state budget impasse is on its 106th day.
Politicians continue to argue, but those who depend on government funding are suffering the consequences. Agencies that provide vital services across the region are being hit hard.
“We are the only rape crisis center in Allegheny County that provides 24/7, 365 days of service to any victim, whether that’s through our helpline, whether that’s in an emergency department or a courtroom,” said Sadie Restivo, executive director of Pittsburgh Action Against Rape.
PAAR supports and protects about 2,500 victims a year — a fourth of whom are children. But since the start of the impasse, Restivo says she’s had to lay off two employees and institute a spending freeze. Soon, she says, she’ll need to tap PAAR’s line of credit to provide front-line services, much like other state-funded non-profits across Pennsylvania.
“We’re all in the same boat at this point,” Restivo said. “We are reaching out to one another. We’re reaching out to see how we can help one another, especially rape crisis centers.”
Westmoreland County has furloughed 125 employees as billions of dollars in state funding have stopped flowing to counties. Allegheny County is using about $50 million a month in cash on hand to avoid layoffs and cutbacks, mostly in the Department of Human Services, which serves people who are homeless, people struggling with addiction and people who are mentally ill.
The state is expected to reimburse the county after the impasse ends, but it’s unknown when that will be.
“The county will have to make choices at some point, so hopefully we’ll get resolution sooner rather than later,” said Erin Dalton, director of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services.
Restivo can’t see it as anything else but a failure of leadership.
“If I came to work every day doing this work for survivors, along with my staff, and I said, ‘Well, nothing more it can do here,’ I wouldn’t be doing my job. And it feels very much like they are not doing their job,” she said.
“This is a completely preventable crisis,” she added.