Monday, Jul 18 2011 7:57AM
Nonprofit organizations in Santa Clara County, California, have had substantial amounts of funding taken away this year.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, nonprofit organizations and service groups in Santa Clara County, California, are struggling to find financial resources after budget cuts for the new fiscal year took away funding for many affiliations.
Additionally, non-government donations are dwindling for these organizations, the paper reports, due to unemployment and financial hardship.
Patricia Gardner, executive director of Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, told the newspaper roughly $10 million in funding for nonprofit organizations in the area has been cut. Low-income residents will be affected the most from the eliminated funding.
"I think the situation we have now will get even tougher for low-income families," Gardner told the paper. "It's an opportunity for our governments to think how to serve all the residents in the community while battling budget woes."
Gardner stated some services which will be affected by budget cuts include programs relating to mental health, employment, education and homelessness.
Santa Clara County funds have been cut by 25 percent by state legislators, while federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grants program for the county were also reduced by 16 percent.