The Latino Action Network Foundation (LANF) today expressed grave concern regarding the potential community-wide impact of the Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal, which would appropriate just $535,000 for the Hispanic Women’s Resource Centers (HWRCs) — a staggering 80% cut. LANF leadership warns that if this funding level is enacted into law, the resulting service gap would leave thousands of New Jersey Latinas without a pathway to economic stability during a time when the Trump administration is launching unprecedented attacks against our community.

Under the current proposal, the HWRC network would be forced to reduce its footprint from six centers to just three, leaving families in eight counties without access to critical workforce training, ESL classes and domestic violence intervention.

Dr. Jesselly De La Cruz, Executive Director of the Latino Action Network Foundation, issued the following statement regarding the community impact:

The human cost of this proposal cannot be overstated. At a time when Latino families across New Jersey are living under a state of siege due to Donald Trump’s extreme federal immigration policies, our centers serve as a vital safe harbor that promote economic self-sufficiency. Reducing our funding to this level would effectively dismantle the bridge to the middle class for half the women we serve.

When we lose a center, we don’t just lose an office. We lose the specialized, culturally competent support that helps a mother escape an abusive situation or gain the job skills to become her family’s primary breadwinner by opening a small business. We are seeing an existential crisis unfold in our neighborhoods, and the HWRCs are the frontline defense against despair. We look forward to working closely with our champions in the Legislature to restore this funding and ensure that New Jersey’s commitment to its largest minority community remains unbroken.

Dr. Frank Argote-Freyre, Chair of the LANF Board, emphasized the broader economic stakes:

This is about the long-term health of New Jersey’s economy. The HWRCs are built on a model of empowerment — equipping families with the tools they need to enter the middle class. When we limit these services to only three counties, we are essentially telling women in the rest of the state that their path to independence is being closed. We are calling on the Legislature to act as a partner in protecting the progress we’ve made toward closing the wage gap and lifting families out of poverty.

The HWRCs operate through trusted, grassroots organizations that have already seen a decline in federal support. By restoring full funding, the Legislature can ensure these organizations remain staffed and capable of responding to the urgent needs of the 2.2 million Latinos who call New Jersey home.