Mariposa Center for Safety is seeking funding from the city of Pueblo and Pueblo County to cover operational costs amid a decrease in funds.
The organization, formerly known as Pueblo YWCA, is requesting $200,000 to cover operations through June, the end of the fiscal year. The center last month unveiled cash flow projections that showed it would run out of money in March and be mired in a shortfall in the months thereafter.
City council had been scheduled to vote on an ordinance Monday that would channel $71,500 toward the center’s operational costs, but it was pulled from the agenda and will likely be revisited in March.
The center last fall reduced expenses, while attempting to “maintain the quality of operations that is expected of our clients,” said Nicole Ferguson, executive director of Mariposa Center for Safety. It later laid off three employees it hired to work out of its planned daycare center, which is on hiatus due to construction challenges.
The organization last month posted on Facebook that it paused development on the daycare center to focus on its resources and services.
About Mariposa Center for Safety
Mariposa Center for Safety is a shelter that provides housing, counseling and other services to victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault and human trafficking. It also operates Teresa’s Place, a visitation and exchange program for parents and their children.
Its services are not duplicated elsewhere in Pueblo. It is not a homeless shelter, Ferguson said.
“Without continued funding support, we’re going to have to look at severely shrinking and reducing some of the services we provide,” Ferguson told the Chieftain. “I think that’s going to have a detrimental community impact to the people we serve.”
‘Kind of just taking it day to day’
Ferguson said that the organization may have to reduce its hours of operation or cut some staff to “reduce overhead costs” if it does not receive funding support. She said the center has been able to cash out some investments it had, which helped create a financial cushion.
“I think we’re still going to face some shortages just due to some other budget cuts through grant and other funding sources that we typically rely on, but we’re kind of just taking it day to day until we know what the city and county are going to do and if they’re able to support us,” Ferguson said.
The agency helped 496 people in 2022 and 322 people in 2023, according to the center’s data. It also assisted more than 100 children during that period and provided tens of thousands of meals.
The center projects it will serve more than 500 people and five dozen children in 2024.
The organization is applying for grants and has reached out to half a dozen foundations for support, Ferguson said. At one point last fall, Ferguson said she served as the facility’s maintenance technician, repairing the boiler and dishwasher as needed, because the center couldn’t afford one.
Center also has maintenance needs
“We’re kind of in crunch time right now just trying to get as many applications, grants and foundations as possible,” Ferguson said.
The center also needs nearly $500,000 to repair a boiler at its facility and keep it operational. The organization decided to keep its building at North Sante Fe Avenue after exploring with PEDCO and other community partners if it was in their best interest to do so. It listed a nearby property for sale to try and close the funding gap.
Outside of its emergency services, the center also offers legal aid, case management and domestic violence education, among other resources. Though some of their clients have homes, they are not safe there, Ferguson said.
In some cases, someone who is abusive may control a victim’s finances and force that person to seek shelter at the center, she said.
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Chieftain reporter Josué Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @josuepwrites. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
