GOSHEN – If President Obama’s 2012 budget is adopted as proposed, the Regional Economic Community Action Program (RECAP) in Middletown could face the loss of half of its $296,000 annual funding through the Community Services Block Grant.

RECAP officials and clients rallied Wednesday seeking community support for continuation of the funding, which could see a 44 percent cut in funding in the current budget year if the federal budget continuing resolution is approved.

Stefan was referred to RECAP three years ago and the agency has been priceless to him.

“I just don’t know where I would be if I didn’t have the help; I just think it’s a great program,” he said.

Roslyn Blair, another client, also praised RECAP’s support.

“I am the kind of person where I depend on God for everything, but they gave me a direction and I took it; they gave me housing. They allowed me to get my children back when I didn’t have them.”

Luz Munez credited RECAP with turning her life around.

“Today I don’t have a job, I have a career and I went from being on disability to being fully self-sufficient,” she said.

Dennis Gillian, another RECAP client, conveyed his personal story of how RECAP provided him with housing, an education and hope to move on to become a productive member of the community.

“Whatever I asked them for, they would try to make sure that I got it,” he said. “They helped me with my housing, they helped me go through and get different money for my education and I am proud to say I did graduate with my baccalaureate in psychology.”

 If program funding to RECAP is sliced, it would mean elimination or downsizing of the emergency food pantry, downsizing of housing placement services, elimination of the volunteer internship program, and elimination of advocacy services, evening hours and birth certificate translation services.

The reduced or eliminated services could result in more than five RECAP employees being laid off.