Clara Reynolds, President & CEO
As you all know, the mission of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is to ensure that “no one has to face a crisis alone.” And last year, over 160,000 people in our community reached out to us for help, hope and healing during their time of crisis. So, it should come as no surprise that during the 35 day partial government shutdown that ended on January 25, 2019, the Crisis Center was called upon by the community to help our neighbors who are federal employees. What you may not know is that the Crisis Center was feeling the impact of the government shutdown too as we receive $163,000.00 per month in federal funding!
So how were we able to respond to our community during our own potential crisis you ask?? Well, as part of our strategic plan, we have identified four strategic pillars to measure our success. One of those pillars is “Financial Sustainability.” We believe in order to be fiscally responsible, we need a variety of funding or what we call the “three-legged stool.” One leg of the stool is government grants and contracts which accounts for 37% of our funding. However, 63% of our funding comes from our amazing donors and TransCare. This diversified funding meant we were able to provide uninterrupted services during the shutdown!!! A huge thanks goes out to our Sustainer and Circle of Caring members who provide crucial, reliable income that we depend upon and are so grateful to receive!!!
However, even with our three-legged stool, we were concerned about the long-term impact of an extended federal government shutdown. For this reason, we reached out to Hillsborough County Administrator, Mike Merrill, and the Board of County Commissioners who then offered to provide “bridge” funding, thus ensuring there would be no gap or lapse in services. Our County Commission, like all of you, recognize that the Crisis Center is our community’s social utility, providing unique services, that can’t be disrupted. We need to be there to connect others who are impacted by the shutdown to community resources, and we have to be there for the general crisis needs of the entire community!
My hope is that the federal government will not experience another shutdown on February 15, 2019. If it does happen, rest assured that the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay will be ready to ensure that no one in our community has to face crisis alone.
All my best!
Clara
