The Pend Oreille County nonprofit Youth Emergency Services (YES) has provided critical medical care, housing, clothing and food to homeless youth for 12 years. But on Tuesday, January 28, that consistent care was put in jeopardy when President Donald Trump issued an executive order freezing federal grants and loans.
Approximately 70% of YES’s funding comes from federal sources, according to YES Executive Director Kellie Dean. For 24 hours, the organization was completely cut off from the federal funding that keeps them in operation: the Trump administration had shut off the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development primary grant disbursement system.
The acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OPM) said in a January 27 memo that, “Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.”
Direct assistance programs, like Medicaid, food stamps, Head Start, rental assistance and federal Pell Grants for college students were supposed to be excluded from this, though blue states throughout the nation reported (and are still reporting) outages.
For YES, this meant that they couldn’t access payroll or pay utilities. Though operations were fully restored the following day, the move left staff startled and concerned, Dean says.
“It’s our backbone,” Dean said of federal funding. “Yes, we get grants and people donate, but those (federal) funds are needed for the day-to-day operations.”
YES serves all of Pend Oreille County, which covers a total of 1,425 square miles, according to the United States Census Bureau. There are five in-house employees at YES and two who work remotely doing grant administration and coordinating state and federal resources. Dean says YES sees over 80 drop-ins per month at their Newport office and handles approximately 75 full-time caseloads on an annual basis.
For the month of January this year, YES supplied 332 food bags for area youth. This year YES is looking at the possibility of adding 20 more caseloads for youth living in the Newport School District.
“With regard to possible federal funding freezes, there is a lot of wait and see as many of the executive orders that have been signed are in direct conflict with state law,” Newport School District superintendent Dave Smith said. “Right now, our state's Attorney General's Office is sorting out all of the legal complications and we adjust as we receive guidance from the state.”
Hailey Owen, a YES advocate, said that she has received several calls from clients concerned over Trump’s executive orders and what that means for future services.
However, she added that with the recent freezing temperatures in the region and inflation of grocery prices, many youths seeking assistance from YES are focused on the day-to-day struggle of securing warm, safe housing and affording food.
Dean echoed that sentiment, saying that their clients were in “survival mode.”
“We’re still getting resources to them to the best of our ability,” Owen said.
Securing housing remains the number one challenge for YES, according to executive assistant Paula Martin. YES had a home host program where volunteers temporarily housed youth in need, but the program shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic and hasn’t recovered.
“Everyone was staying at home and within their bubble, which is understandable,” Martin said. “Some people moved away or decided to start families of their own. Now we’re back at square one. Housing is definitely our biggest issue.”
While YES is currently operating as it always has, Martin said the late January freeze of federal funds has caused YES to look at alternative funding solutions, including more grants and possibly partnering with other organizations in the region.
“It was unexpected, and we were worried about what it could mean in the long run, so we’re opening our minds to other avenues of keeping our operations going at what our community needs,” Martin said.
Federal district judge Loren AliKhan granted an administrative stay on the planned freeze the night of January 28, and US District Judge John J. McConnell said in his January 31 ruling that the OMB memo appeared to violate the law. Still, Dean is worried that Trump’s executive orders targeting transgender Americans, LGBTQ+ protections and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) could lead to further disruptions of care.
“Frankly, I’m feeling a little gross over it,” Dean said. “YES is all inclusive. We don’t refuse services based on sexuality or gender. The LGBTQ+ community knows that we are a safe place for them.”
Dean did not say how many LGBTQ+ youth YES serves, because that demographic information is not required from youth or their guardians when accessing YES services.
“It’s none of our business,” she says. “If they want to tell us, it’s their information to give. Either way, our job is to help them, not judge them.”
YES accepts donations of financial support, food, youth and young adult clothing, footwear including boots and gym shoes, backpacks, school supplies, toiletries, etc. to distribute to homeless teens in the Pend Oreille River Valley area. To donate and learn more information about YES, click here.
Sophia Mattice-Aldous is a Murrow News Fellow working directly with newsrooms at RANGE Media and The Newport Miner Newspapers through a program administered by Washington State University. Her reporting is available for use via Creative Commons with credit.
