HELENA — In 2024, the Friendship Center of Helena served over 700 victims and survivors of domestic violence and with a majority of the organization's budget being funded with federal money, concern is on the rise for what could be next.
Gina Boesdorfer, the executive director for the Friendship Center says, "Even though we try to be very diverse and we in fact are very diverse, often times federal funds is the only way to launch new programs and to provide some of those really critical services."
Although the Friendship Center also uses individual donations and private foundations, federal funding makes up around two-thirds of the center's budget.
Despite the federal funding pause being rescinded, several funding sources are still at risk, as federal grants that have been available for decades are not being offered in the coming year.
"Our grant funding that is typically available has been completely withdrawn for those open solicitations and it looks like we are going to see a decrease in grant funds if not a full inability to apply for them and so it is really important for Montana to understand and know the impact to community," Boesdorfer says.
The Friendship Center says many of these grants have existed for over thirty years and could result in a loss of 250 thousand dollars in funding.
This money supports law enforcement, legal aid, child advocacy, and non-profits like the Friendship Center.
"You will see higher influx into emergency rooms, more people struggling with homelessness, more kids that struggle in school," Boesdorfer says. "So there is this huge ripple effect that happens once you start taking away those things that provide that basic need support."
The Friendship Center will continue to advocate and provide outreach on the topic of domestic violence to Lewis and Clark, Broadwater, and Jefferson counties.
Last year the center fielded more than 3000 crisis calls and sheltered over 200 people.
Boesdorfer says, "We have a really huge impact in the Tri-County area and I think one of things we always like to highlight is those are really high numbers but they are also just scratching the surface."
If you are interested in learning more about the center's services and how to support them you can visit the Friendship Center website.
