Social service funding cuts mean hard decisions for Lafayette area

In 2010, Lafayette officials created a five-year plan detailing how to address the needs of its homeless population.

Five years later, consistent cuts in funding have complicated efforts to meet that goal.

"We certainly have lost the ability to fund many of our social services programs," community development director Aimee Jacobsen said. "We sometimes have to make hard decisions."

One such decision came to a head recently when Riggs Community Health Center eliminated its health referral services program and laid off the full-time employee who oversaw it.

The reduction was prompted by funding drops in several grants, but the final push was the end of a $11,000 community development grant to Riggs that the City of Lafayette declined to renew for this year.

The program, which provided emergency medication and specialty health care assistance for low-income Tippecanoe County residents, was expected to benefit almost 400 clients, according to a budget Riggs submitted to the city in its grant request last fall.

A call to Riggs seeking comment from executive director Bambi McQuade-Jones was not returned Thursday.

Lafayette uses funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on homelessness, to sustain affordable housing development, support economic development and help those living with HIV/AIDS.

Funding is allocated to Lafayette based on formulas based on census data that measure population and community needs.

Lafayette receives two types of funds from HUD — HOME funds and Community Development and Building Grant funds — which are required to be used for the improvement of low- to moderate-income areas and to coordinate with local social service agencies.