The Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (EOC) has notified employees that 639 staff members could be placed on unpaid furlough starting Jan. 1 unless the protracted federal government shutdown is resolved. In a letter dated Oct. 31 from CEO Steven R. Lewis, the agency said the furloughs would be unpaid and of undetermined length, though its programs remain fully operational for now. The EOC serves more than 100,000 Fresno County residents through a network of more than 40 sites.

The warning comes on top of a difficult year for the agency. Earlier in 2025 the EOC reported a $4.2 million budget deficit and carried out 20 layoffs. Agency leaders say the furloughs would be canceled if federal funds resume before Jan. 1. Until then, the staffing notice creates uncertainty for employees and the low-income families and seniors who rely on EOC services.

Key programs potentially affected include Head Start centers, which provide early childhood education and family support; senior food support programs that help older adults maintain nutrition and health; WIC services and other food assistance; and youth housing assistance that helps prevent homelessness. For many Fresno households, those services are part of a fragile safety net that supports basic health, nutrition, child development and housing stability. Disruptions could increase food insecurity, strain caregivers and force families to seek alternative child care or food sources on short notice.

Public health experts describe continuity in nutrition and early childhood services as essential to preventing downstream health problems, from malnutrition and unmanaged chronic disease to worsened developmental outcomes for young children. In Fresno County, where poverty and health disparities are concentrated in certain neighborhoods, interruptions in services are likely to fall disproportionately on low-income families and communities of color, widening existing inequities.

Staff furloughs also carry community-level consequences. A large unpaid furlough would remove hundreds of frontline workers from programs that screen for developmental delays, provide meals, and connect residents to housing resources, potentially increasing demand on emergency services and county safety-net providers. For the employees themselves, unpaid leave adds financial strain and can worsen staffing shortages when services resume.

Local planners and nonprofit partners will face difficult choices if funding interruptions continue. The EOC’s notice underscores the dependence of many community services on federal funding flows and highlights the limits of local budgets to absorb sudden shortfalls. County leaders, service providers and residents now confront a narrow window in which federal appropriations could restore funding and avert the furloughs.

Until then, the EOC says it will keep programs operational and monitor the situation. Residents who rely on EOC services should watch for updates from the agency and local government offices as the Jan. 1 date approaches. The potential furloughs illuminate how federal policy disruptions quickly reverberate in Fresno, threatening essential supports for the county’s most vulnerable residents.