United Way 211 reports near-exhaustion of Curry County funds; youth homelessness project moving forward

Jane Chavez, the 211 information-and-referrals specialist for United Way, told the City of Clovis Senior Services Committee that funding for Curry County is nearly exhausted and that the agency is prioritizing rent assistance and other urgent needs.

Chavez said, “So far this year, we are almost out of funding in Curry County.” She added that Portales still had funds to help households and credited an existing local alliance for enabling recent placements out of homelessness.

The open funding gap is already shaping service priorities. Chavez said the program is focusing remaining Curry County dollars toward rent assistance and noted limited capacity for utility help. “One of the new things in our 2 1 1 is we have an alliance with the AARP,” Chavez said, describing new referral resources that include support groups and legal and financial help for seniors and caregivers.

On program expansions, Chavez said United Way has hired staff for a planned youth homelessness project. “We just hired somebody. We're fixing to hire her an assistant, and it is gonna move forward,” she said, describing the initiative as a multi-year effort to be evaluated over time.

Chavez also discussed disaster-response coordination after recent storms in Lincoln County and Ruidoso, saying the agency joined VOAD meetings and would help route incoming calls and updates: “We're gonna continue to have co ad meetings probably every evening, just to keep up with, resources because... it changes day to day in disasters like this.”

The committee did not take formal action; Chavez provided contact information and urged committee members to refer seniors and others in need to 211 for help with housing, utilities and other services.

Looking ahead, Chavez said ongoing fundraising and partnerships will be necessary to restore service capacity for Curry County residents.