Nonprofits urge council for aid as state grants shrink; CASA, Safe Place and counseling services make emotional appeals

Several Mitchell-area nonprofit leaders made direct appeals for city funding Monday, saying state and federal funding cuts and rising local demand have strained operations.

Jackie Horton, executive director of First Circuit CASA, asked the council for $26,500 to make up years of decreased municipal support and a recent $100,000 statewide cut to VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) funding. Horton said CASA’s annual budget is roughly $490,000 and described consequences if funding gaps persist: children remain longer in foster care and volunteers face harder choices. “So the critical question becomes, who do we make wait for a CASA?” Horton asked.

Colleen Hoffman, executive director of Safe Place, requested $20,000 for operations (distinct from a separate building campaign) and described service-area expansion to nine counties amid decreased state funding. Michelle Carpenter of Dakota Counseling Institute asked for $26,250 to sustain 24/7 crisis services and previewed a planned four-bed regional crisis facility; she said staffing and on-call stipends cost roughly $37,000 a year.

Council members generally expressed support for the missions of the organizations but balanced sympathy with fiscal reality. Multiple members said they were comfortable funding smaller amounts immediately (several mentioned $5,000 as an acceptable minimum for CASA) and asked nonprofits to pursue matching grants and additional local partners. Staff noted some historical funding figures were mis-displayed in the packet and committed to providing corrected breakdowns by municipality and county.

Next step: staff will confirm past funding lines and return a clean historical funding breakdown so councilors can finalize allocations during upcoming budget sessions.