For those who help the poor, 2025 goes down as a year of chaos

By Jennifer Ludden

Published December 29, 2025 at 4:44 AM EST

It's been a tough year for local groups that help those in poverty. They've had to scramble and scale back amid federal cuts and funding chaos.

National

Jennifer Ludden

Jennifer Ludden is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk where she covers housing, homelessness, poverty and inequality.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.