facing an uncertain future.

This after a wild week that saw the Trump administration pause.

>> Federal grants and loans and then reversed course 2 days after following widespread confusion in legal challenges, the freeze threatened to hold up trillions of dollars in funding for basic government functions like healthcare, infrastructure, and support for children and veterans.

While the order was reversed, nonprofits across Illinois are still dealing with effects and wondering how stable federal funding is moving forward.

Joining us to discuss them to discuss this.

Moving to look ahead, our of their luck.

mean, a senior director of training and community partnerships at Illinois Partners for Human Service.

It opened executive vice president and chief operating officer and bright point might sell the Co executive director of UN last it.

You've got goal and Cameron Zelaya, senior policy analyst at the Illinois, a collaboration of use.

Well, thank you all for joining us.

There's a lot to talk about here.

I want to start off as of yesterday.

We know the order was rescinded, but it still caused panic and confusion of Ala. Can you tell us what you heard from Chicago organizations during that time?

How would you describe that time?

It was absolute chaos and it was a very real reminder that health and human service organizations are undervalued, underfunded and >> that we need to speak up.

We need to act collectively.

Some of the stories we heard from our coalition partners which provide services like housing, child care, food and nutrition programs, services for people of all ages where that some organizations were planning to open programs to move into new spaces and they have to pause because they did not know if they would have enough funding to pay their staff to pay utilities to continue with the services.

It was absolute chaos.

We put out a call to action and within a couple of days over 200 organizations responded to share how concerned they were and calling on all of our elected officials to remember that the government relies on help community organizations to provide a guest services.

Mario, want to ask you was what communication did you get from the state and federal government?

If any?

Well, we received a lot of information like everyone else through news and social media that quickly translated up.

>> To our executive level team and we did a lot of work to really make sure we're communicating back to our community and to our staff.

And so you know, there's a lot of fear and a lot of panic in our communities and in our organization.

And so price point is a very large statewide organization surveyed 3,400 letting us across the state in rural and urban areas.

It's really important to acknowledge that this fear is very real, even though we're strong, stable organization.

>> And Cameron, we know that the program's organizations run depend on federal funding.

What would you say is at stake?

Yeah.

What is at stake is, you know, serving children the heart of our members is helping children thrive in succeed.

And, you know, within the state of Illinois, roughly 20% of Latino youth are living in poverty.

A 3rd of Latino youth are living in houses that are burdened that by high housing costs that are receiving public aid.

It's these families that were trying to help lift out of poverty, ensure that they don't come into contact with the justice system with the foster care system or with community violence.

I'm hearing from all of you that just like the impact that it would have my satellite of this trees were to have gone through.

How would have affected your organization?

>> And would have affected us in many levels we receive about 20% of federal passed through dollars through state and city agencies.

So it definitely put a >> put our services to at-risk.

I think what's going to be really important because even though the order was rescinded, I mean, we're still in danger of potential budget cuts across all of the work that everyone has mentioned.

And so I think what's going to be important is for all of us to come together and really plan and have scenario planning worst-case scenario, best case scenario anything in the middle to be prepared.

Uk's budget comes to comes through if free says for payments to come through there.

So a lot of agencies that have lots of dollars tied in waiting to be received reimbursable.

So I think planning is going to be very do expect that this would happen.

You know, I think we always we learned from the first 4 years of the administration, right?

And how about things are?

I don't think anything should surprise us.

I think what's going to be important us really being prepared 2, think of waves get ahead of ourselves.

But just be very prepared to be able to respond in the best way possible.

And Mario, as you mentioned, your organization serves many working families who depend on accessible child care services, families who are also undocumented.

What's the broader economic impact of these nonprofit services?

Sure.

I do.

You explain it to someone.

Well, first of you know, great play.

Our firm belief is that every child deserves a strong start regardless of their.

>> Genesis story and that we believe at our core, you know, at the end of the there's a lot of chaos and confusion that's caused.

And so we know from the prior administration that this is not a mistake.

This is a strategy.

And so I think as important as as this is its it's crucial that our community, which is under attack right now, ensure that we are not just focusing and reacting on what's occurring, but also looking over here to make sure that we are not missing some of the bigger systemic policy up like implications such as health care, corporate taxes, taxes on the wealthy LGBTQ issues.

And so those are really critical.

The last thing I'll say here is that the Latino, segment of our population is the fastest growing in the state and country and we are huge economic generator.

And so to not acknowledge that legislators and the criticism really ought to be doubling down their investment here.

And so I think by not doing that, we're probably sacrificing America's ability really compete globally.

>> And then they're you sure your personal experience that influenced your work glove, too.

So I know firsthand.

I know what it feels like to wait in line to receive food at a food pantry.

I know what it's like to worry that you're going to lose your home because your parents are too sick to work where they were laid off.

I also know what it's like to be afraid to ask for help from or the government because of your immigration status.

But I left firsthand the importance of a community-based organizations stepping in to provide those services and to help cover the no one, no person, no family should navigate those challenges alone.

And funding community-based programs.

benefits every community.

Every person in our state.

And whether that comes from federal grants or federal programs to get the community's need them all around.

And and I know the value and I'm committed to helping our coalition partners.

All of you present here to continue to advocate to be vigilant and to press for investment and health and Human Services and every community and Cameron there.

There are concerns that these programs could lose federal funding again due to the population.

>> That they assist.

you sharing that same experience?

A lovely.

>> I think in your previous segment you mentioned that we're seeing a rise in absences in schools.

We're seeing that on the Members are seeing that not only on the ground into schools but into the programs where they're offering services.

Children are not getting needed services families aren't sure if they should send kids to school and so they might not get school breakfast.

They might not get school lunches.

And then there's the matter of our is, is this going to be stable?

Is this going to be ongoing threat?

Is this going to that is weighing down on the capacity which is already relatively limited for nonprofit organizations that are operating on a shoestring budget.

So, yeah, very big concern and it's gonna create a lot of wariness when it comes to seeking additional federal grants to do additional programming for children.

>> I how does this impact undocumented people depending on the service, especially in Little village?

I mean it it it facts.

>> many ways right in the supports that they receive.

And the safety net works at created in the safe havens that they see in community-based organizations to have the support that they need and everything is on the line at this point in time.

>> Like and then a shared her story.

I think the other thing to look at it, too, is that our community, however, is resilient, right?

This isn't the first time that we've been through issues like this.

>> We did the prior administration.

We did it through the fiscal year 2015 budget impasse.

We did it through COVID.

And so I think that our community has shown a tremendous amount of resilience and creativity and coming together and supporting each other.

But it will have some significant impacts in their everyday lives.

Know.

I also attended one of those programs and I was a kid and that that have benefited tremendously from real, you know, what can people do to help you are watching?

What can they do?

>> Well, I really appreciate your story.

And, you know, we have a great alderman in the 25th Lord, which is look out of the as which as I mentioned, is a part of great point his chief of staff Alysia Moya was at below that of the known she matriculated through our program.

And so they came back to look at it.

you know, in January to read to children.

And so it's a very inspiring example of the kind of impact that we have every single day.

And I think what people can do continue to pay attention, making sure that we are just reacting but also making sure paying attention to some of the bigger systemic policy issues