United Way Asks Saline County for $10,000 Emergency Relief Fund in 2027 Budget

Christina Small, executive director of Salina Area United Way, appealed to the Saline County Commission to include a $10,000 investment in the 2027 budget to provide rental and utility support for households facing eviction, utility shutoffs, and other short-term financial crises.

Small said the funding would help fill gaps left by a partner organization, Community Action out of Topeka, which provides rapid rehousing, homelessness prevention, and utility assistance but has strict eligibility requirements and limited funding per case. She said the organization covers six of 10 counties in its region.

"This year alone, we've submitted 11 applications to them for either rapid rehousing or utilities," Small said. "That totals just over $9,000 in requests, and only one of them have been approved for under $500."

She told commissioners the United Way receives daily phone calls for help and that turnaround times on applications have grown from one business day to as long as three weeks. She said families that receive eviction notices sometimes have only three days to move out and cannot wait weeks for an answer.

Small emphasized the request was not intended to replace Community Action or other nonprofits but to intervene "at the right moment when a relatively small amount of assistance can prevent a much larger and more expensive problem." She said keeping families housed reduces demands on county-supported services such as law enforcement, EMS, courts, and behavioral health providers.

Small confirmed that 100% of the requested funding would go toward assistance rather than administrative costs, and that the United Way is holding a fundraising event to build its emergency relief fund. She also addressed a funding committee that had hoped the money would go toward child care, saying child care funding has "taken off" while a new need has been identified. The item was presented as informational; no vote was taken.