DECATUR - The good news is that cuts to social services did not go nearly as deep as feared during the state budget crisis this summer.

The bad news is that services are increasingly scarce on some fronts as the Decatur area heads into its second holiday season since the economic downturn began.

One exception appears to be food, with pantries reporting that donations are keeping up with the increased demand.

Executive Director Walt Smith said he's been able to keep the doors open at the Boys & Girls Club of Decatur but has had to radically reduce case management services since July 1 for children most at-risk because of a freeze on $68,800 in Teen Reach funding from the state.

Instead of being able to help 190 students stay on track with their school work, the club has been working with only the 30 funded by the Macon County Mental Health Board, Smith said.

"Academic achievement is still a strong priority, but I had to lay off four case managers," he said. "We've recently received word we are going to receive some funding but at a reduced level."

Over at Heritage Behavioral Health Center, mental health and substance abuse services are harder to obtain without Medicaid or other insurance. A third group home that Heritage planned to open for people unable to live independently also will remain closed.

Diana Knaebe, CEO and president, said she has been able to restore many positions involved when she laid off 25 employees in July for a net loss of seven full-time-equivalent positions.

The cuts are the result of a 14 percent reduction in state funding, amounting to $950,000, and bringing the total amount received to about $5.8 million. The total budget for Heritage for the current year is about $9.7 million.

"It's depressing to ask people to call us to see if they are eligible for services," Knaebe said.

At the Macon County Child Advocacy Center, less public awareness work, training and outreach is being done about the impact of witnessing violence on children 5 and younger because of a $15,000 cut to the center's $150,000 grant for its Safe from the Start program.

The center recently celebrated its 10th anniversary after the state financial crisis, and the threatened loss of $85,357 from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, threatened to close its doors. Department representatives recently have said that funding will be restored.

Diane Drew, executive director of the Community Home Environmental Learning Project, said she recently had to implement a second hiring freeze on home care providers for about 215 elderly people because the Illinois Department on Aging has indicated there will be some funding cuts after all, starting Nov. 1.

"We're in limbo again," Drew said. "This is getting pretty frustrating."

Denise Smith, executive director for the United Way of Decatur and Mid-Illinois, said a survey of nearly 400 community service providers across the state shows that 60 percent will be forced to reduce or freeze the number of people they are serving because of a loss in state funding, and 57 percent are waiting on back payments from the state.

"Twelve percent of these agencies are temporarily or permanently closing their doors," Smith said.

Dove Inc. laid off 19 people as the result of a state funding cut but is hiring nine positions because much of the state funding was restored and because of the $908,549 in funding it is receiving from the federal Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program.

Francie Johnson, director of community services, is in the process of hiring two part-timers to replace the full-timer and part-timer she lost and said she expects the Christmas basket distribution Dove does with the Northeast Community Fund to reach even more people than last year.

The Northeast Community Fund expects to more than double its space before Thanksgiving.

Executive Director Jerry Pelz said moving its food distribution to a larger area next door will allow the agency to serve more people in the same amount of time.

"We'll be going to a choice operation where people can choose food items they actually want instead of us packing a box for them," Pelz said.

The WSOY Community Food Drive on Oct. 9 brought in a record 382,000 pounds of food for Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army, and representatives of both say things are looking good for the holidays.

Major Bob Gauthier of the Salvation Army said he had to reduce his hours and that of his 15 employees by 20 percent starting in August, but he is optimistic the army's kettle drive, starting in mid-November, will raise $350,000 to meet holiday needs.

"The people of Decatur have demonstrated time and time again how they generously respond to the needs of others," Gauthier said. "We may be living payday to payday, but I'm confident we will continue to meet the needs of all the people who come to us."