Kentucky nonprofit braces for end of ARPA funding

LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — For nonprofits that provide safety and support to families in crisis, stability often depends on steady funding.

One Kentucky organization is now bracing for changes as a major source of federal dollars runs out.

The expiration of the federal American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, could leave organizations across the commonwealth facing serious deficits.

“I will be closely looking at that come January to figure out what we have to shift or adjust,” said GreenHouse17 executive director Darlene Thomas.

GreenHouse17 provides intimate partner violence resources to about 6,000 Kentuckians each year.

“We work very hard to keep families safe, to provide them resources and services so that the children can be safe and have healthy, happier lives.”

Thomas says ARPA funding helped her organization recover after federal cuts in recent years.

“I’m thankful to our legislature, they used ARPA money to help us cover those losses and that really helped for the last four years of losses of what we had federally, and kind of helped make sure we were able to meet budget,” Thomas explained.

But she said this kind of financial uncertainty is nothing new.

“We often go through these kinds of cycles where you lose money and then maybe somewhere else you’re able to gain it,” added Thomas. “If there’s anything frustrating, it’s the reality of what the needs are and the lack of resources.”

Thomas said that losing this funding could make it harder to maintain services, but even with that uncertainty, she said GreenHouse17 isn’t going anywhere.

“Things might look a little differently, I don’t know yet. But I can promise you this organization will strive with everything it has to make sure we answer that phone, that we look at choices and options regarding safety, that we’re working in communities, that we’re going to courts, that we’re providing visitation and safe exchange to the best of our ability,” she said.