Since Inauguration Day, the Trump administration and its congressional supporters have made it known that many of the nation’s social programs are headed to the budget chopping block. But even with negotiations ongoing, the threat of brutal funding cuts is already hitting home for the Hudson Valley’s nonprofits. Organizations like the Regional Economic Community Action Program (RECAP), Orange County’s designated anti-poverty organization, are responding with urgency—and so are the community leaders who support them.
Former longtime RECAP board member and former board president John Cappello, a partner at Walden-based J&G Law, has seen firsthand how nonprofits like RECAP act as lifelines for vulnerable community members affected by poverty. While Cappello is best known for his legal work in land use and municipal law across the Hudson Valley, J&G Law also encourages its attorneys to engage deeply with their communities—a commitment that’s becoming more vital in the shifting public service landscape.
“Getting to know and work with the great staff at RECAP is one of the greatest pleasures of my career,” says Cappello. “They provide vital support for people in our community, and they need attention now more than ever.”
Balancing Daily Operations with Funding Threats
Founded in 1965 as part of the national War on Poverty, RECAP today runs a wide net of programs to help low-income individuals and families increase self-sufficiency. These range from early childhood education to housing assistance and home energy conservation, touching thousands of lives each year. But just five months into the current Trump administration, RECAP is bracing for what could be the most significant threat to its mission in years.
“It’s not that this has never happened before,” says Charles Quinn, RECAP’s CEO, who has seen the political pendulum swing widely in his 15 years with the organization. “Programs start up, programs end, depending upon the needs of the community. And that’s supposed to happen. But right now the pressure we’re seeing from the federal government is as far-ranging as we’ve ever seen it.”
Quinn says that recent federal budget proposals have threatened to eliminate several major safety-net programs that make up roughly half of RECAP’s funding, ranging from Head Start to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Community Services Block Grant.
The stakes could not be higher for the vulnerable residents who rely on their services, says Michele McKeon, RECAP’s COO. While much of the budget talk in Washington centers on cutting out waste in federal spending, McKeon says that investing in prevention and human services now ultimately saves money in the long run. “Keeping a family housed, fed, and healthy costs far less than emergency interventions after a crisis,” she says. By that logic, cutting programs isn’t “fiscally conservative,” it’s just pushing the bigger costs down the line.
Right now, she says, part of the challenge for nonprofits is breaking through the barrage of news that is deadening public urgency. “The overwhelm people are feeling right now is the point,” she says.
McKeon says RECAP’s team has responded to the atmosphere of uncertainty by doubling down on communication and transparency. Internally, she says, they are keeping their 150-plus staff informed with accurate, calm communication about what is known or unknown about the future of their federal funding. Externally, they continue to document and share their outcomes.
“With these federal dollars comes a lot of reporting,” says McKeon. “We show exactly what we do with it: who’s getting jobs, who’s lowering their medical costs, who’s saving energy. We prove ourselves daily.”
Individual Actions Matter
Both Quinn and McKeon agree it can be hard for people to grasp the ripple effects of funding cuts until it affects someone’s own home, but they urge Hudson Valley residents who care about these issues to get involved now.
“Look locally at the organizations that have longevity in your community,” says McKeon. “Support them, follow them on social media, make donations when you can. It doesn’t take a massive grant to make a difference. In May, the Hudson Valley Gives online campaign raised over $1 million for regional nonprofits, largely through modest contributions of $60 at a time.”
Despite the current funding headwinds, the RECAP team is far from despairing. “We are always looking forward,” Quinn says. “We never do any of this work alone.” RECAP collaborates closely with Orange County and New York State agencies, other nonprofits, and community partners to solve problems. That approach will only become more crucial in the next chapter if federal funding is cut.
“The hope is that calmer heads will prevail and funding will continue,” says Quinn. “But we will keep figuring out ways to provide these services no matter what.”
