Pa. social services agencies ask Wolf, lawmakers for stopgap aid

Organizations that administer safety-net services in Pennsylvania are asking Gov. Tom Wolf and lawmakers to interrupt their six-week-old budget stalemate by approving stopgap aid to the struggling nonprofit providers.

Kristen Rotz, the United Way of Pennsylvania’s president, said Monday agencies that provide food, shelter and other assistance to the needy, neglected and disabled are already cutting services.A survey of 312 organizations in Pennsylvania found that more than a quarter of them expect to curtail services in August, she said. 

Meanwhile, three in five organizations expect to borrow money in August, with interest costs expected to surpass $1 million within weeks.

Joining the United Way are The Arc of Pennsylvania, Hunger Free Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth and Family Services.