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By Mario Morino
(published in The Washington Post on October 14, 2001)
Last Tuesday, more than 275 community leaders
came together for a strategy session focusing on the implications
of the terrorist attacks for service organizations not directly
working with victims' families. The leaders came away with
the somber realization that we may be in the middle of the
steepest decline in support for social services in decades,
at precisely the time when the demand for these services is
about to spike.
To be sure, the outpouring of charitable giving
for the families of victims has been remarkable. Rarely have
we seen such a wonderful display of American generosity. But
now we need to prevent giving from becoming a zero-sum game.
We must ensure that millions of poor and working-class families
do not become the next victims of this national tragedy.
The current predicament for service organizations
arises from a dangerous convergence of factors. Even before
Sept. 11, the need for the services that community organizations
provide was growing fast. Now layoffs are hitting harder,
and unemployment benefits are insufficient to allow some families
to get through this period without defaulting on mortgages
and sustaining other major losses. Experts predict that layoffs,
combined with the anxiety of continued terrorist threats,
will increase drug and alcohol abuse, which in turn will spark
increases in domestic violence and other crimes.
The attacks have increased the demand for counseling
in schools and other settings, and they have created other,
less predictable needs. For example, one local service organization
has been swamped with requests from federal employees desperate
to find new child care because they feel that child care centers
in federal buildings are no longer safe.
To make matters worse, thousands of low-income
families are reaching the end of their welfare time limits,
the stock market slump may trigger a significant drop in giving
by charitable foundations, the federal government is likely
to shift funding away from safety-net services as military
and security expenditures take up an increasingly large share
of the budget and families that gave generously to victims'
funds may experience donor fatigue.
We can do several important things to reduce
these terrorism-related ripple effects. Families, corporations
and foundations that have long supported community organizations
should do whatever they can to keep up their generous donations.
People can volunteer with community organizations, offering
not only extra hands but also relevant professional skills.
And we can all play a role in making sure our state and national
policymakers understand the importance of protecting core
family and community services.
On Sept. 11 America's social fabric was
ripped. America cannot repair that rip without the men and
women who work every day to confront the great and growing
needs of our communities. They don't wear the badges of our
police and fire departments or the proud uniforms of our armed
services. But the services they perform are crucial to the
health, strength and unity of our nation. Let's not forget
to support them.
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