Gary Harm Reduction suffers funding cuts, board member talks worries
As federal funding changes roll in, organizations nationwide learn to continue offering services with fewer resources. Gary Harm Reduction is one of those.
Executive Board Member Robert Bailey said the organization had about $500,000 in federal and state grants at the beginning of the year, but with changes, Gary Harm Reduction is seeing about $50,000 in funding.
'Some of it is like the government slashed (diversity, equity and inclusion) grants and (LGBTQ+) grants, and deliberately targeted that,' Bailey said. 'They've also targeted HIV grants because that's apparently not a priority.'
Gary Harm Reduction is a local grassroots organization that was founded in 2020, according to its website. It provides the opioid antidote naloxone, known by its brand name Narcan, advocacy for substance users and people in recovery, and overdose prevention education.
The organization is entirely volunteer and has distributed more than 5,000 Narcan kits, according to its website.
Indiana's overdose death rate is 41 per 100,000 individuals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lake County has the second-highest overdose rate in the state, according to Post-Tribune archives.
'The Trump administration and Gov. (Mike) Braun are targeting the most vulnerable people and hurting them,' Bailey said. 'I personally have lost many friends to opioid overdose. … I am not exaggerating when I say that these cuts will kill people.
The U.S. Fiscal Year 2026 budget includes cuts for HIV care, treatments, programs, prevention and surveillance at the CDC, housing and other programs, according to the HIV and Hepatitis Policy Institute. The cuts amount to more than $1.5 billion.
'While we appreciate the need to improve government efficiency and look forward to having those discussions, it is not efficient to decimate the nation's established and successful programs to prevent an infectious disease,' said Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV and Hepatitis Policy Institute, in a statement.
'This will only result in an increase in costly lifetime chronic illnesses and run completely contrary to what the administration has been promoting. We believe Congress understands the critical federal role in preventing infectious diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis, and the serious implications and consequences to the health of our country if these programs are not adequately supported.'
In January, President Donald Trump's organization also announced diversity, equity and inclusion cuts in an executive order, calling them 'radical and wasteful.' The cuts have led to billions of dollars in savings, according to the White House.
Trump's federal budget also made various cuts to LGBTQ+ programs, according to the Human Rights Campaign, which could equal about $2.67 billion nationwide.
'This budget is more than cuts on a page — it's a direct attack on LGBTQ+ lives,' said Matthew Rose, senior public policy advocate, in a news release. 'Trump is taking away life-saving health care, support for LGBTQ-owned businesses, protections against hate crimes, and even housing help for people living with HIV. Stripping away more than $2 billion in support sends one clear message: we don't matter. But we've fought before, and we'll do it again — we're not going anywhere.'
Since learning how drastic the changes will be, Bailey said Gary Harm Reduction has been 'in damage control mode.' The organization's executive director has talked about foregoing a salary to help make up for missed funding, Bailey said.
Executive Director Kristen Martin was unavailable to comment Tuesday.
Board members have sent messages to local organizations that might be able to help with funding, Bailey said. A major concern for Gary Harm Reduction is keeping its physical office at West Ridge Road near Calumet New Tech High School in Gary.
Having a physical location is 'incredibly important' for Gary Harm Reduction, Bailey said.
'There's a relatively large unhoused population in that area,' he said. 'It's helpful to have that, especially with things like regional health care coming in and doing doctor's visits with people.'
In addition to money, board members have also asked for donations of supplies needed, such as blankets or kits for those who receive services.
The city of Gary installed a Narcan vending machine at the Adam Benjamin Jr. Metro Center on March 21 to help with Narcan distribution, which is a nasal spray that helps rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Gary representatives could not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday about whether the city's services will be affected by federal and state funding cuts.
As Gary Harm Reduction looks to the future, Bailey can only hope that solutions are possible and people will help those struggling with drug use in the community.
Bailey hopes that federal and state government officials will also see the importance of harm reduction programs.
'The problem with drug use is that it tends to fly under the radar,' Bailey said. 'We don't like to talk about it as a society. It's very stigmatized, so these people are going to be dying in silence, and people don't know this harm is happening. They need to know.'
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