County and service providers warn federal HHS staffing cuts and budget proposals threaten local seniors, families and child services

Lake County social services staff and community partners told the Board of Supervisors on April 8 that recent federal actions and staffing cuts at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Administration for Community Living (ACL) are already disrupting local programs and could produce deeper interruptions if additional budget cuts are finalized.

Social Services Director Rachel Dillman Parsons summarized the federal situation for supervisors and described how the county’s basic safety-net funding and services are exposed to shifts in federal policy and staffing. “These federal cuts, layoffs, tariffs, and this proposed budget, we'll be putting our most vulnerable, our seniors, veterans, disabled individuals, children and families at risk,” Dillman Parsons said.

Why it matters: County staff and nonprofit partners said the changes could reduce or delay payments for benefits and services that keep people housed, fed and healthy. That could raise demand for county safety-net services at the same time available federal and state funding becomes less certain.

Key local figures and figures cited by staff - “50% of Lake County is on Medi-Cal,” Dillman Parsons told the board, and “25% of Lake County gets CalFresh,” which she said brings about $3,000,000 into the local economy each month. - “2,716 people receive IHSS benefits,” she said; “we are paying $6,000,000 monthly to the providers of those services.” - The county’s HUD Section 8 voucher program assists “89 families and issues…