Though the government shutdown remains anything but stable, local nonprofits and health care providers are doing what they can to ensure needs are being met in the community.

“We do have an obligation here,” said Julie Stevermer, director of Mower County’s Department of Human Services during a meeting Monday between local nonprofit and healthcare leaders.

For most area nonprofits, the government shutdown is a narrowly-averted disaster. Almost all area groups, like Cedar Valley, the Parenting Resource Center, the Salvation Army and Community Technologies & Service, are unaffected by the shutdown or running on a combination of reserve cash and carefully planned layoffs.

“People are still receiving services in our community,” said Mandi Lighthizer-Schmidt, executive director of the United Way of Mower County, which released third quarter payments to local nonprofits early to help each group’s cash flow situation.

Yet there are plenty of signs of trouble, such as the PRC’s 12 employees that were laid off when the shutdown took place and another four to be laid off this Friday.

“We’re tapping into reserves for the next two weeks,” said Kathy Stutzman, PRC Project and Policy Development Director. “At that point a lot of things could still happen.”

Things are looking up slightly for Mower County. The County Board of Commissioners could vote to recall 10 employees Tuesday that were laid off from the Human Services department on July 1, according to Stevermer.

“We’re obviously a little short,” Stevermer said about the county’s financial assistance unit’s ability to process applications.

Though many health and human services were deemed critical by the state, there are still services like the crisis nursery at the PRC, SILT funding (which helps disabled adults living by themselves obtain services), and child care programs that aren’t activated yet.

What’s worse, according to nonprofit leaders, is the reality that some of those programs may not be re-established when the state shutdown lifts.

“What are we supposed to do?” said Stutzman. “We need to put faces to these examples.”