A Pee Dee nonprofit could soon close its doors. For thirty years, Healthy Start in Florence provided services for pregnant woman. But it lost a major grant.
Healthy Start opened in Florence in 1991 and has served thousands of women and children, with a mission of reducing the infant mortality rate in the Pee Dee. But this year, it lost its federal funding, about $1.5 million, which came as a shock to its executive Director, Maddie Robinson.
“It was difficult to swallow, but you can sit down or you can get up and fight,” she says.
Robinson chooses to fight. She’s since reduced staff, made operational changes and most recently, asked Florence City Council for $10,000. She says that money would allow them to continue operating for a few more months.
Florence City Council approved the grant Monday.
“You’re talking about what amounts to a relatively small amount of money through a short term gap funding,” says Florence Mayor Stephen Wukela, who voted to approve the grant. He says the money would come from the city’s reserve funds.
But councilman Buddy Brand says voting in favor of the grant breaks council’s own rules, because the request never went through council’s budget process.
”Right before budget time, we take into account all the other people who have come to us asking for money and then we divide up what money we feel like we have available,” Brand says. “In this case, i just think it should have gone through the budget process.”
Wukela says this case is an exception and not the rule.
“So what this does,” Wukela says, “is effectively gives them oxygen for just a little while.”
