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Updated: 1:04 PM Mar 11, 2010
FOCUS Women's Center Forced to Make Cuts
The FOCUS Women's Resource Center in Charlottesville is being forced to make budget cuts and will operate with fewer employees and less office space. Officials said many important programs FOCUS organizes will not be affected.
Posted: 12:05 PM Mar 11, 2010Reporter: Stephanie Satchell Email Address: stephanie.satchell@newsplex.com |
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3 Comments 
March 11, 2010
A local women's resource center is being forced to downsize in the next few months.
Leaders at the FOCUS Women's Resource Center in Charlottesville said they'll keep most of their outreach programs, but they will have to operate with fewer employees and less office space.
Like many other nonprofit and government agencies, FOCUS is slashing the budget, leaving a few items on the chopping block.
FOCUS board members said downsizing personal counseling and eliminating positions and office space will help balance the budget.
They said they don't want to make cuts, but they know they have to in order to continue providing other helpful services to women in the community.
"I'm sure that there will be an impact on those women that we will no longer be able to serve in those programs in the community that we hope we can help transition them to," FOCUS board member Hobby Parent said.
Leaders said despite the cuts, some programs will remain untouched, including the FOCUS Flea Market, Microloan Program, career counseling, Girls Empowered to Make Success, and lawyers and financial assistance nights.
FOCUS has been around for nearly 40 years. Board members said they've made cuts before and survived, and they'll do it again.
Latest Comments
This is a fantastic post by Concerned Citizen that is right on the money. The loss of the counseling program at FOCUS leaves those with few resources one less option for getting help in the community. Cuts to mental health continue to pile up which will invariably lead to other problems in our community.
The missing story here is that yet another agency is cutting its mental health services. FOCUS was one of the last places in town where women AND men without health insurance could receive low-cost counseling. Where will people go once they close their personal counseling services? Region Ten only sees those with serious mental illness and a history of state psychiatric hospitalization. UVA and MJH don't provide any counseling services for people without health insurance. The Free Clinic doesn't have counseling services. The Women's Initiative doesn't see men and they have a wait list for women. With FOCUS closing its counseling doors, there will be nowhere for individuals who aren't actively suicidal or homicidal to go.
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