Encompass Community Services, a nonprofit that provides health and human services, is urging Santa Cruz County residents to contact federal elected officials to save two funding programs they say will affect health and child care services for thousands.
Proposed federal budget cuts would eliminate the Head Start program and cut Medicaid/Medi-Cal funding.
Encompass provides mental health support, substance use treatment, housing support and wraparound child care services. Most of its clients are covered through Medi-Cal, and the federal cuts will affect more than 85,000 people in Santa Cruz County, the organization said.
Head Start is a program that provides early childhood education, health and nutrition services to low-income children and families. Encompass, the only Head Start provider in Santa Cruz County, said more than 300 local families will lose child care if the program is eliminated.
“Eliminating Head Start and slashing Medicaid would deeply harm our most vulnerable Santa Cruz populations, threatening their access to early education, mental health care, substance use treatment and essential health services,” Encompass CEO Shellee Stopera said in a statement.
Encompass is asking community members to contact California Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, along with Reps. Jimmy Panetta and Zoe Lofgren.
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