Kathy Sickels at South Central Community Action Partnerships isn’t used to telling people to wait.

But she said when people need help after Jan. 1, they may have to wait three days for an appointment.

&uot;I need help right now. I have babies. We’re going to be evicted in three days,&uot; she said she expects to hear from clients who approach her, not knowing what else to do.

Starting in January she’ll work alone most of the time at the slimmed down former headquarters of SCCAP, which will dissolve at the end of this year. Similar services will still be available, but with three fewer employees.

SCCAP’s interpreter will stay on, but will leave Sickels by herself much of the time. Without any support staff she won’t be able to drop everything as she does now to take walk-in clients.

SCCAP announced in August that Southeast Minnesota Community Action Council might absorb its duties, after months of losing funding from state and federal agencies that added up to two-thirds of its budget. And although it’s not official for another couple weeks, everyone has agreed there’s no alternative.

Collette Turcotte, executive director of SCCAP, said from the beginning more than 20 years ago, people said they were too small an organization to do everything. Now SEMCAC will perform much of the administrative and accounting duties.

That leaves her without a job, after more than 20 years. There will be some volunteers, but only eight hours worth a week.

She said the biggest effect on services will be that Sickels won’t be able to help people without an appointment. She said in the past, the larger staff has been able to help on the spur of the moment, with someone whose power was going to be shut off, or needed help to get a job. Those days will be over for the most part.

She said the agency did sometimes dig into its budget to do programs based more on the effect it would have on someone’s life than the cost of the project. But she said that would have been acceptable had the state not removed funding.

The recent budget woes started in February when the state removed $45,000 in funding that had already been allocated. In June, SCCAP, like all Minnesota CAPs, received a 53-percent cut from its operational and program funding. For SCCAP, that amounted to $36,000.

A $55,000 cut to its housing program has already forced the shut-down of the transitional housing program, which provides apartments with rent assistance. The shelter almost closed in July, and now has enough funding to run until April, thanks to donations. Some of the funding loss resulted from spending money they expected but did not get, as was the case with the housing program.

Bruce Hartert, executive director of SEMCAC, said budget cuts have strained his organization, but absorbing SCCAP’s responsibilities won’t be a burden. SEMCAC has cut back on staff and hours for many of its programs.

&uot;There should be no problem with people getting service,&uot; he said. He said his staff will take up some of the loss.

Hartert said the shelter will remain open at least until April, by which time he hopes SEMCAC will find more funding for it.

(Contact Tim Sturrock at tim.sturrock@albertleatribune.com or 379-3438.)