Advocate

Head Start provides a system of comprehensive care for children and families from birth to age 5. 

Locally, HAPCAP's Head Start programs currently serve 254 children across Hocking, Athens, and Perry Counties.

Regional Offices Closed
On April 1, five of the ten regional Head Start offices, including the Chicago office, which oversaw our program, were closed.

Slowed Response Times & Funding Reimbursement
HAPCAP's Head Start programs are experiencing slow or no communication and extended wait times to receive reimbursement for regular operating funds.

Additionally, HAPCAP has lost pre-approved funding for a number of projects.

This uncertainty has put increased pressure on frontline staff and made it more difficult to recruit and retain staff for these vital positions. 

Head Start Talking Points from the Ohio Head Start Association

Federal LIHEAP Staff Termination
On April 1, 2025, the entire federal staff working on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) was terminated. This announcement has caused uncertainty about how additional funding awards will be administered.  

Current Administration's 'Skinny Budget'
The "skinny budget" is a preliminary, simplified version of the President’s budget proposal that outlines major funding priorities and proposed cuts. 

The skinny budget proposes eliminating the entire LIHEAP program. The elimination of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) would have a devastating impact on rural communities like ours, where in 2024, 6,617 low-income households turned to this support to keep their homes safe and warm. Rural communities face unique challenges, including higher energy burdens and limited access to services, making programs like LIHEAP essential for health, safety, and stability. 

HAPCAP operates the SE Ohio Foodbank, a Feeding America member. The SE Ohio Foodbank sources, stores, and provides food to over 60 food pantries and emergency food programs across 10 counties in Southeast Ohio. We also offer SNAP outreach and programs to increase access to emergency food items. 

Listen to Vince Hall, Chief Government Relations Officer at Feeding America, share the importance of food assistance on the Ohio News Network. 

Ohio 2026-2027 Biennial Budget

We are thankful to the Ohio House for its continued investment in Ohio’s state-funded food purchase programs. The budget, as introduced, in House Bill 96 provides funding for the Ohio Food Program and Agricultural Clearance Program at $24.55 million per year, which is $7.5 million less per year than 2024-2025 funding levels.

Food prices have significantly increased since this level of funding was first appropriated in July 2019. Ohio Foodbanks respectfully request a modest $4.93 million per year inflationary adjustment to help offset this loss in purchasing power for a total investment of $29.48 million per fiscal year in the 2026-27 state biennial budget.

SNAP (aka food stamps / EBT)
This week, the Senate Agriculture Committee released their draft of the budget reconciliation bill—and SNAP is still on the chopping block.

While the Senate proposal reduces the severity of cuts compared to the House version, it still puts families at risk. The Senate bill includes an estimated $211 billion in SNAP reductions over the next 10 years, compared to $295 billion in cuts proposed by the House. These changes would have long-term consequences for the millions of Americans—including thousands here in Southeast Ohio—who rely on SNAP to feed their families.

Cuts to food assistance would hit rural America especially hard

SNAP Recipients express fears about Trump tax bill’s cuts to food assistance

Advocates for low-income Southeast Ohioans see red tape, loss of coverage, and economic damage in the federal tax cut bill

Ohio Association of Foodbanks Action Alert

Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC)

In early March 2025, the USDA announced the cancellation of about $500 million dollars worth of TEFAP-CCC Bonus Food Purchases. CCC funds are used by the USDA to supplement federal commodities provided to foodbanks. 

Locally, at the SE Ohio Foodbank, this resulted in 163,000 pounds of expected food that will not be received.

Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA)
The USDA announced in March 2025 that 2025 LFPA contracts would be terminated. THE LFPA is a USDA program that supports local and regional producers. Those grants would have run from July 2025-June 2027. Current grant agreements ending on June 30, 2025, will be honored.

Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels is funded primarily by the Older Americans Act, Title III Senior Nutrition funding, and administered by the Dept of Health and Human Services. In late March, the administration announced it was closing half of the HHS regional offices. Then, in mid-April, a budget proposal from The Office of Budget Management was leaked that would cut $40 billion dollars from the Dept of Health and Human Services. The Older Americans Act Nutrition Services Title III Nutrition grants are not slated for elimination in this proposal. However, they were moved to the Administration for Children and Families and flat-funded.

Access to affordable housing helps families meet basic needs without being overburdened by rent. Stable housing creates stronger, healthier communities and supports local economies by reducing homelessness and increasing workforce participation.

Ohio Biennial Budget - Housing Trust Fund
Currently, there is a proposal in the state budget to reshape the Ohio Housing Trust Fund. The fund pools revenue from county recorder fees across the state, then redistributes that money to housing-related projects. Under the Ohio House’s proposed budget, counties would no longer be required to send their recorder fees to the state. This change would be a budget-neutral move. "They are not saving money by changing this; they are not making more money by changing this," said Becky Eddy, Integrated Services. 

Locally, many of Integrated Service’s projects would not have been possible under the House’s proposal. 

Ohio Housing Trust Fund - At a Glance

Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that provides health insurance to low-income individuals and families. In Ohio, 3 million people are covered by Medicaid- that is more than 1 in 4 residents. 

Budget Reconciliation
Congress has passed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" as of May 22, 2025. This bill includes reductions to many safety net programs, including Medicaid. The House budget reconciliation bill also directs $625 billion in cuts to Medicaid over 10 years and increases the number of people without health insurance by at least 7.6 million by 2034, the largest cut in the history of the program.  

Our advocacy efforts now move to the U.S. Senate, where we have opportunities to make an impact on this legislation. 

Read this Op Ed from the Ohio Children's Trust Fund about the potential impact on Athens County Children

Expansion:
One of the proposals that seems to be gaining momentum is around Expansion and the potential to save money by reducing the federal share for this coverage group.

Simultaneously, Ohio is considering adopting 'trigger language' through our own state budget process - if adopted, this would require Ohio to completely end coverage for Expansion population if the federal share is reduced by even 1 cent.

Locally, Integrated Services estimates they serve at least 4,000 people through Expansion.

Work Requirements:
The second major potential policy change is the introduction of work requirements for some Medicaid enrollee. One of things the data shows is that these requirements often leads to people losing coverage not because they’re unwilling to work, but because the paperwork and reporting required to show that the requirements have been met are challenging to complete, especially in rural areas where transportation and internet connectivity are hard to access. Others lose access to benefits because they face barriers to employment and don’t meet the eligibility for an exemption.

Policy Considerations Medicaid Expansion
Medicaid in Ohio by County - Center for Community Solutions

For some, public transit provides the only way to access essential services such as healthcare, employment, grocery stores, and social services. Transportation can be particularly challenging for rural residents living on lower incomes.

Federal Funding Share
Most rural transportation systems receive 40% to 80% of their operational funds from the Federal Transit Administration. In 2024, of HAPCAP's $5.9 million in transit operating funds, $3.6 million - or 62%- was federal.

We have not heard of any proposals to significantly reduce public transportation funds at this time. However, there have been reductions in the Federal Transit Administration staff. 

Birth & Marriage Rate Allocation Memo
The Secretary of Transportation has released a memo stating that federal transportation funds will be partly allocated based on states' birth and marriage rates. Ohio ranks 26th in birth rates and 29th in marriage rates. 

Locally, Athens County has some of the state's lowest birth and marriage rates, partly due to Ohio University's student population. 

Operating Grants Uncertainty
HAPCAP's Transportation operating grants are on the State Fiscal Year cycle. That means our current funding cycle ends June 30th, and the new cycle begins July 1st. As of now, we do not know what this next round of funding will look like.