MORGANTOWN — For Libera WV, $1.2 million is life-changing money.
It’s a huge shot in the arm to the agency.
More importantly, it has the potential to literally change the lives of the at-risk young women the nonprofit serves.
Women coming into adulthood out of the foster care system, the juvenile justice system and other scenarios that, statistically, increase the likelihood of poverty, homelessness and substance abuse.
So, it was cause for celebration late last year when the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh’s Board of Directors announced Libera would receive a $1.2 million forgivable loan through the bank’s Affordable Housing Program to finance a project in Morgantown.
On Jan. 15, the agency purchased the former school building-turned Chestnut Ridge Commons Bed & Breakfast at 1000 Stewartstown Road from the Morgantown Lodge of Perfection Scottish Rite Masons with the goal of turning the building into a transitional housing and services center for its clients.
March-Westin came aboard and Libera announced it was working with its contractor to have the necessary renovations complete by the end of the year.
But as of Tuesday morning, all those plans seem far less certain.
The White House ordered a pause on an untold number of federal grants, loans and other financial assistance programs pending a review by the Trump administration.
Included in that pause are the federal grant programs that are the lifeline for nonprofits, like Libera WV.
It’s unclear how long the freeze will last.
“It’s not our full budget, but it’s a significant portion,” Libera Founder and Executive Director Karen Haring said of federal grant dollars.
“It was sort of a vague announcement, but our understanding is that even the grants we have right now are paused,” Haring said. “They’re paused while they’re being reviewed, but you have to ask yourself how long it’s going to take to review them all.”
Haring said she doesn’t believe the affordable housing funds from the FHLBP will be impacted by this pause, but a prolonged disruption in the nonprofit’s ability to seek reimbursement for staffing and other costs will impact not only that project, but the nonprofit’s core mission.
After all, what good is a new transitional housing facility if you have no employees?
“What we’re really hoping is that we can save the jobs of those who would be working at that building, and those who would be serving the foster youth, youth coming out of recovery and those who are justice impacted. We’re hoping to be able to keep employing those people we employ,” she said.
Haring said she counts Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice,- in his former role as governor – as supporters and says she knows they will want to keep jobs in West Virginia and assistance in place for the state’s most at-risk population, foster youth.
“We’re concerned for those we serve. We’re concerned we’ll be able to continue the work. We’re concerned we’ll be able to keep jobs. And of course I’m concerned, not only for Libera, but all the other nonprofits we work with,” Haring said. “As local, nonprofit leaders, we’re trying to make West Virginia great and we’re trying to build brighter futures for youth and young women in West Virginia.”
She continued.
“I’m a person that tries to live in the moment … I think it’s too early to say anything about the future. At this point, the plan is to move forward, but if our staffing is affected, I don’t know what the future holds.”
