County won’t receive FEMA funds in 2011

Van Wert independent/United Way information

United Way of Van Wert County Executive Director Deb Russell said the county will not be receiving any Federal Emergency Management Agency funds this year.

“This has a huge impact on our community,” Russell said, adding that, in 2010, the county received $33,394 for food, mass shelter, rent, and utility assistance. “We were delayed in receiving word because of the federal budget that did not go into effect until July 1.”

The United Way executive director said she was notified of the decision by email on July 22.

The federal budget showed FEMA funding was being cut by half from 2010. Last year, local agencies receiving funds for food were Cooperative Ministries and The Salvation Army. Crisis Care Line and the YWCA received funds for mass shelter, and the Northwest Ohio Community Action Commission received funds for rent and utility assistance.

In looking over Ohio unemployment rates by county for May, Russell said Van Wert ranked 51st out of 88 counties.

“It is frustrating because 12 counties with lower unemployment rates received funding, and they include the cities and surrounding areas of Toledo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus,” Russell noted.

The notification specifically states funds would go to jurisdictions with 300 or more unemployed and an 11.5 percent rate of unemployment.  Van Wert’s unemployment rate is 11.3 percent. Also receiving funding were jurisdictions, including balance of counties, with 300 or more unemployed and a 14.4 percent rate of poverty. Van Wert’s poverty rate is 5.5 percent.

The notification also stated decisions were made based on:

• Most current 12-month national unemployment rates
• Total number of unemployed within a civil jurisdiction
• Total number of individuals below the poverty level with a jurisdiction
• The total population of the civil jurisdiction

The United Way director said there was a chance the county would receive some funding that could be used to assist local residents.

“The state has some funding in the State Set-aside Committee that they will be allocating,” Russell said. “I have made an appeal to them for Van Wert to receive funding and can only hope that they will allocate Van Wert some funds.

“For example, the allocation for food last year was $13,000,” she added. “If you can’t purchase food to give out, or if you don’t have the funds to provide a grocery voucher for food, a lot of people are not going to eat or people will just get very little.”

Local grocery stores where the vouchers were used will also be affected, Russell said.

”United Way cannot come close to filling that gap when we have been short of our goal the past couple of years,” she noted. “Agencies end up doing more fundraising in order to meet their program needs. It hurts everyone, especially those in need of assistance.”