The director of Utah's largest homeless shelter network jokes that she's going to have to hit the street with her tin cup to keep the shelter going.
But Maun Alston, director of Travelers Aid Society, is not really laughing, and it's not too far from the truth.Although they've cut overtime and reduced services, unless unexpected money comes in, the shelter could be as much as $125,000 in the hole on June 30.
And the shelters have never been so full, with homeless men, women and children spilling over into four smaller "winter emergency" shelters designed to keep people out of the cold.
The winter emergency program will close March 31, regardless of how cold it is, "because we just don't have the money to run it," Alston said.
The Salt Lake Community Shelter and Resource Center has lost more than $33,000 in federal emergency money, because Congress only funded 46 percent of what it had been giving through Federal Emergency Management Assistance.
Another chunk of money disappeared when Congress cut the McKinney Homeless Fund by 69 per-cent. At the three-shelter center, located at 210 S. Rio Grande, that translates to a $22,000 cut - and McKinney won't provide any money next year.
Besides that, Alston said, Congress hasn't passed a budget and "we don't know what to expect."
In the future, she expects to reduce more services and cut back on the number of beds available. "That's not helpful, because people don't get on their feet."
And the center will probably incur more unusual expenses later this year. Because of increased crime in the area, Alston believes center staff will have to come up with safety enhancements, including possible structural alterations.