For those who help the poor, 2025 goes down as a year of chaos

"Before dawn, in a cold, blustery drizzle, a line forms outside a small, squat building on an open stretch of road on the outskirts of town. "My heater quit working in my car," Scott Skinner says good-naturedly to the next man in line. "Man, what kinda luck am I having." The building is called "The Market" because it has a food pantry, but Skinner and the others are here to sign up for heating assistance."

"At the same time, SNAP food benefits were suspended for weeks, and some food pantry shoppers are still playing catch up. One of those people is Lisa Murphy. She's 61, disabled and relies on Social Security, and says it's important to have "places like this that really help us." "I still owe my gas bill. I owe $298," Murphy says. "It's hard to buy food and pay my bills, too.""

"But even as need grows with rising costs and unemployment, local anti-poverty groups like the one that runs The Market say their work has been threatened as never before amid the Trump administration's funding cuts, pauses and reversals targeting a long list of safety-net programs. The shutdown was only the latest disruption that forced them to scramble to keep operating. And, they say, the year of chaos has left deep uncertainty over which programs may be hit next."

"'Emergency response mode' The Market in Logan, Ohio, is part of Hocking Athens Perry Community Action - HAPCAP for short - one of a thousand such agencies across the country that have been around since the 1960s. They connect some 15 million people with housing, health care, food aid and much more. At HAPCAP, services include Meals on Wheels, Head Start, a public bus system, employment help, and a food bank that serves 10 countie"

Residents line up before dawn at a community center to sign up for heating assistance after difficulty securing appointments. Heating aid and SNAP food benefits were suspended during a government shutdown, increasing immediate need and leaving some households unable to catch up on bills. Disabled and elderly residents relying on Social Security report unpaid utility bills and difficulty affording food. Local anti-poverty agencies operate multiple services, including Meals on Wheels, Head Start, public transit, employment help and food banks. Funding cuts, pauses and reversals at the federal level have forced agencies into emergency response mode and created deep uncertainty about future program support.

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