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Charitable Groups Concerned About Debt Crisis

By Steve Newton

Story Created: Jul 13, 2011 at 5:37 PM MDT

Story Updated: Jul 13, 2011 at 6:19 PM MDT

President Obama told the press Monday night, "I cannot guarantee that those checks go out August 3rd if we haven't resolved this issue, because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it."

These words are sending shock waves through the country. Many people are now worrying that if the debt crisis isn’t resolved by August 2nd, they may not receive their social security or benefit checks.

Jeanie Trapp is an administrative officer with Opportunities, Inc. in Great Falls. She says a shutdown would affect her operations even though the federal government isn’t their only funding source.

"Not all grants run through the federal government,” said Trapp. “You have private entities that help support; you have private individuals who help support (our organization). With a shutdown like that, it would impact our clients and how we can serve them."

Folks at Cascade County Aging Services are also following the situation closely, but tell us they have the resources to keep going for a while even if the government stops funding them.

"We also receive general fund money from the county,” said Rob Rung, Director of Cascade County Aging Services. “We also receive state general fund money and one-time only money from the state of Montana. Not to mention our donations in Cascade County have been tremendous and we have a lot of local support."

An official from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services sent an email to various agencies this morning, including Cascade County Aging Services. The email encourages concerned citizens to take a “wait and see” attitude and to contact their congressional representative for more information about the situation.

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