Funding Shortfall for Booker T. Washington Center

It could be the end of the road for some employees and services at Erie's Booker T. Washington Center. As the centers fiscal year comes to a close, officials at the outreach center have found it more difficult to find sources of funding. ¤

Right now as officials complete their end of the year assessments, it appears about 5 of 10 full time employees at the Booker T. Washington Center will have to be laid off.

Officials at the center are having to dip into next quarter's funding just to maintain their services now. A couple of the organization's grants are running out, and they could be completely gone by the next fiscal year.

There's no question that without a state grant that provided about $250,000, the center's OB-GYN health services would be one of the programs lost.  Also, the center's crime and delinquency program could also be cut.  However, the center's summer kids program will continue as scheduled.

Now, the outreach center is trying to assess the situation and they've begun the process of finding other sources of funding through the county, the city and through legislators.