The Aftermath: What One Day of Uncertainty Taught Us About Funding
by Keri Stitt, President & CEO
On Wednesday morning, Americans woke to the news that sweeping federal budget cuts had been made overnight, erasing $2 billion in SAMHSA funding, effective immediately. Less than 24 hours later, we learned that the federal funding for mental health and substance use services—funding that many organizations across Texas and the country rely on-had been restored. On paper, that should have been the end of the story. Crisis averted. No harm done.
But inside the mental health and substance use treatment field, it didn’t feel that simple.
For nearly 24 hours, providers like Youth180 were left trying to make sense of conflicting messages and unanswered questions about whether critical funding would disappear. We made urgent phone calls, called emergency meetings, organized state-wide and national efforts, and crunched the numbers late into the night. Although the funding was restored by the end of the day, the uncertainty lingered—draining time, energy, and focus from care.
What that one day revealed is something many of us in this work already know: systems built to support people in crisis are far more fragile than they appear-and instability, even brief, carries real consequences.
A day diverted from care
At Youth180 that day wasn’t spent focusing on delivering services, planning programs, or supporting young people and families. It was spent in emergency meetings. On the phone. Reading and rereading emails that said different things. Trying to determine what was real, what was rumor, and what decisions we might have to make-quickly.
Do we pause services? Do we move forward and hope reimbursement comes later? Do we prepare staff for changes we don’t yet understand?
Across Texas and the country, some organizations were in the process of cancelling services. In many places, services were interrupted. That is time and capacity we don’t get back.
“Temporary” disruption is not harmless
There’s a common assumption that if funding is restored quickly, the damage is minimal. But that is not how this work operates.
Mental health and substance use organizations are often told they should “run like businesses,” be efficient, accountable, and outcomes-driven. But no business can function in an environment where core revenue streams can be thrown into question overnight, without warning or explanation.
Even a short period of uncertainty:
Pulls leadership away from strategic and clinical oversight
Drains staff capacity and emotional bandwidth
Delays decisions that directly affect clients
Creates stress and instability across already stretched teams
When systems are lean, there is no extra buffer to absorb shocks like this. The cost shows up not just on balance sheets, but in burnout, delays, and missed opportunities to serve people when they need support most.
Plus, mental health and substance use services do not exist in isolation. We are deeply connected to schools, families, housing stability, emergency rooms, and the justice system. When uncertainty disrupts one part of the ecosystem, the effects ripple outward.
What doesn’t happen on a day like this is just as important as what does:
Preventive work gets postponed
Early intervention conversations get delayed
Planning for long-term stability gets pushed aside
These are the quiet losses that rarely make headlines, but they accumulate over time.
Stability is a requirement
This moment reinforced something that feels important to say plainly: stability and predictability are not luxuries in mental health and substance use care. They are foundational requirements.
Communities depend on these services being there tomorrow, next month, and next year. Providers depend on being able to plan, staff responsibly, and focus their energy where it belongs-on care, prevention, and healing.
Restoring funding matters. But so does recognizing that repeated disruption weakens the very systems we all rely on.
We need partnership
One day of uncertainty was enough to remind us how interconnected this ecosystem is, and how much invisible labor goes into holding it together. If we want strong, effective systems that support mental health and recovery, we have to protect not just the dollars, but the stability that allows those dollars to do their job.
From funders, providers need flexibility and trust. Unrestricted and general operating support matters because it allows organizations to respond quickly without pulling resources away from care. When funding environments shift, the ability to stabilize staff, honor commitments, and keep services running depends on having room to adapt.
From partners, we need collaboration. No single organization can be “holistic” on its own. Strong systems are built when organizations work together, share responsibility, and fill gaps collectively.
And from the broader ecosystem-policymakers, institutions, and community leaders-we need predictability and clear communication. Sudden changes, even when reversed, carry real costs. Stability allows organizations to plan responsibly, retain skilled staff, and focus on prevention instead of crisis management.
This moment is an opportunity to strengthen how we work together and build systems that are resilient, collaborative, and centered on care. With steady support and shared accountability, mental health and substance use providers can continue showing up for young people, families, and communities every day.