Family Focus: Local Nonprofit Struggles With Budget Cuts

None — A Charlotte nonprofit that helps single mothers said it's getting harder to do what it needs to do.

Tamika Roach, 25, is living at Florence Crittenton Services while getting ready for her baby boy to arrive. The nonprofit, which has been in Charlotte for more than 100 years, provides housing, meals, medical care and job training for single mothers and their babies.

Roach was a homeless high school dropout. After seven months at the nonprofit, she has her GED.

"I'm a better person than what I was before," she said.

Roach added: "They mean a lot to me because they have helped me to, you know, learn me better, and know that I can accomplish my goals."

The facility can serve 49 people, but right now, only 24 live here.

Florence Crittenton CEO Marilyn Thompson said recent budget cuts have hurt the agency.

"Actually, we could serve more but funding is the issue," she said.

Thompson said the state has reduced the number of days it will pay for an expecting mother to receive care there.

"When you get a call from a young lady who's homeless, no safe place to live, in need of prenatal care and so forth, and she's earlier in her pregnancy, that's when the tough decisions have to be made," Thompson said.

As Thompson looks for more fundraising, she's calling on people like Sandy Epperson.

More than 30 years ago, Epperson was 17 and pregnant with her son, Daniel. Florence Crittenton took her in.

"They gave me the tools I needed to learn how to be a parent," Epperson said. "You know, just the basic things, like how to do a budget, how to plan meals."

Epperson's son is now halfway through pharmacy school, and she's grateful for Florence Crittendon.

"They had a huge impact in our lives, and I know that's been the case for many other young women and children," Epperson said.

The average cost for Florence Crittenton to provide services for a woman is $150 a day.

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WSOC