A perfect storm is on the horizon, and it threatens to swamp the most vulnerable members of our region. Dramatic changes to the funding of social programs, including Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), will cause thousands of our neighbors to lose their benefits. To further complicate things, persistent inflation is making basic needs like groceries and housing ever more expensive, and expiring pandemic-era insurance subsidies are sending premiums through the roof. This crisis won’t just hit the poor; it will impact everyone, including the working class, our local businesses, and the health of our communities.

This is especially true in our rural region, where job prospects are limited, wages are often lower than the state average, and public transportation is practically nonexistent. If you live 20 miles from the nearest town center and lack a reliable car, a work requirement that now mandates minimum hours for people to qualify for assistance becomes an impossible barrier, not an incentive. These cuts will impact us all and not in a positive way.

As a Plattsburgh attorney, a former U.S. Congressman representing the Adirondack region and past board member of several regional nonprofits, I have had an inside view of the complex machinery of our social safety net. There is often more going on “under the hood” than most people realize.

Take your local food pantry as one critical example. Whether it’s in a church basement, a town hall or a community action office, it relies on a delicate combination of private donations, nonprofit support and government funding. That funding is layered: the food pantry gets its stock from a regional food bank, which in turn relies on a combination of federal grants, state funding, foundation support and individual gifts. When the largest piece of that funding structure — federal money — is suddenly removed, the entire tower begins to shake.

When people are unable to qualify for federal assistance, they don’t simply vanish. They will, out of necessity, seek help from soup kitchens or show up in emergency rooms at the exact moment the national funding stream is drying up. The burden of cost is not going away; it is simply shifting a bigger portion onto already strained systems. Just ask our small business owners about their difficulties in recruiting and retaining workers because of the challenges employees face.

If we truly want to help people get on their feet, save money in the long run, and strengthen our local economy, we should look to the example being set by local innovators.

Adirondack Community Foundation (ACF) — whose board I once sat on — and the dozens of organizations participating in its Social Safety Net initiative offer a blueprint for the future. In southern Essex County, for example, North Country Ministry is expanding its casework services by partnering with local organizations where clients are already going, creating efficiencies and removing the transportation barrier.

And in Clinton County, the United Way of the Adirondack Region is leading a coalition supported by ACF, coordinating efforts with partners like JCEO and NAMI. Their goal is simple but revolutionary: to end the bureaucratic nightmare where a struggling family has to go to five different organizations and tell their story five different times to get the help they need.

By coordinating their support of ALICE families, these organizations are focusing on long-term stability rather than just crisis management. By reducing administrative overhead and focusing resources on holistic case management, we can effectively catch families before they fall into the abyss. This isn’t just the right thing to do ethically; it’s a smart investment in our community. Just like in healthcare, the more we prevent chronic challenges, the more we save in the long run.

The shifting federal policy is a wake-up call. It tells us that we can no longer rely on distant, complex government programs alone. The future of our social safety net must be local, coordinated and focused on long-term stability. Fortunately, we have a region of smart nonprofits, strategic funders and caring donors — and that can mitigate some of the pain ahead. While we can’t steer clear of the storm clouds entirely, it’s time for our region to set its own course.

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William L. Owens is a partner at the Plattsburgh law firm Stafford Owens. He served as U.S. Congressman for the 21st District of New York (previously the 23rd) from 2009 to 2014.