On a recent episode of CityLine on WCVB with host and executive producer Karen Holmes Ward, United Way of Massachusetts Bay President and CEO Marty Martinez spoke about how looming federal budget changes threaten to unravel critical safety net programs, and how local leaders are working together to respond. 

Massachusetts is bracing for major shifts to SNAP food benefits, Medicaid, and MassHealth. These programs are lifelines for families across the Commonwealth, and cuts could force households already on the edge into even more difficult situations. 

“The changes that concern me the most are really changing access to benefits, changing access to Medicaid are really changing the ability for people to help their families thrive,” Martinez told Holmes Ward. He stressed that policy changes at the federal level aren’t just abstract debates in Washington—they have direct consequences for people’s ability to pay bills, access healthcare, and put food on the table. 

The conversation also touched on federal staffing cuts that affect program delivery. For example, reductions in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) have meant fewer staff to distribute dollars for utility bills. Since February, Martinez United Way has been convening a coalition of statewide leaders—including nonprofits, policy makers, small businesses, and elected officials—to anticipate these challenges and coordinate a response. 

“We’re very involved with a coalition of folks who are coming together to try to understand, how do we respond to some of the federal challenges that are coming out? How do we organize and support organizations, but how do we find long-term solutions? It’s really about responding now, but thinking long term,” Martinez said. 

To address both immediate needs and long-term resilience, United Way recently launched the United Response Fund. The first round of grants—totaling $130,000—supported organizations focused on immigration issues, English as a Second Language (ESL), and emergency family assistance, including a collaborative of agencies in Lawrence. 

“These small investments help agencies work collaboratively to navigate this challenge stronger than if they do it in isolation,” Martinez said. 

Martinez closed the segment with words of encouragement to nonprofit leaders: “Stay focused on what you’re trying to get done. Our community needs you to be strong, but don’t just focus on the crisis at hand. Also focus on how we get past it. The community needs us to think about the future as well as the moment we’re at.”