Lubbock Area United Way is a nonprofit that organizes local partners, provides support and resources for the community, and advocates for policy that best suits the region and families it serves.
It is part of the United Way network, a collaboration between independent United Way affiliates across the globe.
Lubbock’s office has been serving the community for almost 80 years, with the mission of supporting community needs through intervention, prevention, and addressing root issues that put people in vulnerable positions in the first place.
According to Lubbock Area United Way’s president and CEO, Amanda McAfee, collaboration is a key part of the organization’s mission and role.
“We have different nonprofits that we partner with in the community, but we'll partner up with anybody, any business, anybody who's in government. We're here to partner and bring people together around the table,” she explained.
McAfee said many nonprofits have been dealing with funding uncertainty for the past several years.
As household budgets shrink, they often have to cut their charitable giving. Smaller endowments for private foundations mean they have also been giving out less. So nonprofits have been relying more on government grants because they are dependable.
Now, with many changes in federal and even state funding, that landscape has shifted again.
“We're digging into those coffers that are supposed to be the ‘in absolute case of emergency,’” McAfee said. “I mean, maybe this is the emergency, hopefully not, but that really puts people in a hard space.”
The South Plains Food Bank has had to cancel trucks this year, and McAfee said some child care centers have had to turn away families due to lack of funding.
On the monetary level, McAfee said United Way has not been as affected by funding shakeups as many other nonprofits.
United Ways throughout the country manage a federal reimbursement grant through FEMA, which is then distributed to area United Ways. That funding, which is used to prevent and intervene in homelessness situations, has not been received.
“So when we're pulling away from safety net programs, well we've cut some of the programs that prevent people from needing safety net programs in the first place, and it's just this big cycle,” McAfee said.
Part of its role as a community organizer means that Lubbock Area United Way also advocates for partner nonprofits in policy decisions at the local, state, and national levels.
Many nonprofits, especially small local centers, cannot afford to have full-time policy makers or committees. But with network partners in Austin and D.C., United Way is in the position to be the voice and ear for its partners.
“We want to look and find just smart public policy, right?” McAfee said. “Doesn't matter, blue, red, purple, whatever color you want to make it. We want to find good, smart public policy that's going to help West Texans.”
Beyond the United Way network, McAfee said the Lubbock Area office has good relationships with the region’s state and national representatives, whom it can reach out to about what certain bills might look like and the impact on rural areas. One current piece of legislation they’re working on is the Farm Bill, which will have a significant impact on SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“It was created to help people get through a time window,” McAfee said. “And so how can we ensure that that is what it continues to do, address the concerns that are coming out of Congress and the administration, while also making sure that we are addressing hunger in our community?”
The current plan for the Farm Bill includes a $300 billion cut to SNAP over the next nine years. This comes after the reconciliation bill, passed by Congress earlier this summer, also rolled back approximately $187 billion from the program in the same time period.
Another advocacy point for United Way is seeking federal support for 211, a helpline from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission that connects people with services, resources, and nearby programs.
Due to state funding, McAfee said that 211 is stronger in Texas than in some other states.
“But if we could have that federal [funding], that would help a lot with nonprofits being able to take on some of the things that are going to come out of the changes to SNAP and Medicaid,” she said.
While lawmakers might not always agree with United Way’s policy positions, the network is able to facilitate conversations and make sure that the concerns of and potential resources provided by regional nonprofits are taken into consideration.
McAfee and other United Way representatives were meeting with lawmakers in the immediate aftermath of the July 4 flooding in Kerr County. She was able to provide updates from United Way of San Antonio and United Way of the Concho Valley, who were assisting with flood response.
“We were able to give live updates to the senator's office of ‘this is what United Way is doing on the ground right now. Here is a map of where there are people helping,’” she explained. “And [we] were really able to give some live updates that – had United Way not been there right at that moment – wouldn't have happened.”
McAfee said there are still a lot of unknowns, even for those who are in a secure position like Lubbock Area United Way.
“I think I gave up being confident about anything a long time ago,” McAfee laughed. “I think what United Way is really good at is being nimble. As new things come up, we are able to address them in the moment that it comes up. And nonprofits in general are pretty good at being nimble. We'll move to address the hunger needs that are going to come up or the health needs that are going to come up.”
She also said that Lubbock is fortunate in how it can watch the impact that economic changes have in other cities and can use that to prepare. That preparation is achieved through collaboration, something that has become even more evident in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It kind of shocks you, because you forget what a great community we live in, but we do,” McAfee said. “Lubbock is just different. Ask anybody who's ever lived anywhere else and then moved to Lubbock.”
There have been many points in the nation’s history that funding is difficult, which is part of why United Way advises its partners to diversify their financials and revenue sources.
McAfee said that there are good questions being asked about federal spending and involvement, but wondered if quick solutions, like ceasing grants and removing positions, might not be the best long-term method of cutting back waste.
“There's nothing wrong with asking those questions, as long as at the end of the day, we don't forget human dignity and value,” she said.
McAfee stressed that preserving services and nonprofits requires support. Many nonprofits have their financials readily available, so donors can see where their money is going.
She offered to answer questions or even host tours to show potential donors and partners that United Way is making a difference in the community.
“But it requires that generosity, because we all want to live in a great community,” she said. “When you're giving to a nonprofit, you are raising all ships in your community.”
Many of United Way’s donors are those in the ALICE category, Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. That means folks who are above the federal poverty level, but still struggle to afford the necessities.
McAfee attributed that generosity to the fact that people are more willing to give if they feel connected to their community and know that the services work. ALICE households are a priority for United Way.
“Our latest numbers say that 49% of households in Lubbock County are ALICE,” she said. “That number is not going to change. At the end of the day, we still have to take care of those households and those families and make sure that they receive the support that they need.”
For those who rely on services that might be at risk or for those who need assistance but don’t qualify for benefits, McAfee acknowledged that it can be hard to ask for help.
“Especially out in a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps kind of culture,” she said, “there can be a lot of shame in that. But there is help that is going to be here every day of the week, no matter what.”
Even in times of uncertainty, there are services available and people who want to help.
For assistance, you can contact Lubbock Area United Way on its website or by calling (806) 747-2711. You can also find resources through the statewide services helpline by calling 211 or visiting the website.
This story is part of a series examining the local impact of federal funding cuts. Learn more about how spending affects rural programs here. And check out part 2 and part 3, which explore two different local projects helping homeowners work with their environment.