A Charlotte nonprofit that has been quietly running mental-health and violence-prevention workshops for kids now finds itself in the crosshairs of federal budget cuts, and its leaders say core services could be on the chopping block. The group warns that classroom lessons and summer outreach that reached hundreds of children may shrink right as the county is ramping up trauma-informed trainings and school partnerships.
The Compassionate Companion, a local organization that offers curricula such as My Big Notebook and My Epic Flow, is facing federal funding reductions, as reported by WCNC. On its website, The Compassionate Companion describes those programs as trauma-informed workshops used in schools, detention centers and faith communities across Mecklenburg County. Program leaders told local outlets the funding loss could force them to cut back sessions and push off plans to train new facilitators this summer.
How Local Programs Rely On Federal Grants
Much of the nonprofit’s work flows through Mecklenburg County’s ReCAST II initiative, a multiyear grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that backs trauma-informed services and community violence prevention. Mecklenburg County Public Health lists trainings, school partnerships and provider collaborations under the ReCAST umbrella that depend on federal dollars to pay facilitators and cover curricula costs.
A National Pullback
The local funding squeeze is part of a bigger national pullback in federal support for community violence-prevention work and some school-based mental-health efforts. WFAE reported last year that grant reductions left public-safety and prevention groups staring down layoffs and an uncertain future. Advocates have also flagged large federal funding shifts in testimony submitted to Congress, arguing that those changes stripped away a key layer of backing for neighborhood prevention work, with written testimony referencing those broader cuts.
Local Leaders Weigh Options
Program staff told WCNC they are scrambling for emergency fundraising and extra help from partners to keep classes going while they chase new revenue sources. At the same time, Mecklenburg County’s ReCAST calendar still lists trainings and community events, a sign that county public-health leaders are trying to stick to planned outreach even as front-line groups hustle to fill their own budget gaps…