Unless something changes in Washington, D.C., more than 100,000 San Diego service members are set to miss their first paychecks of the government shutdown next week.
The military community — especially the junior enlisted ranks — already deal with a precarious economic reality. Dealing with the high costs of housing and childcare, compounded by frequent relocations.
And that's when the paychecks are coming in on time.
"There is definitely a feeling of anxiety," said Monica Moon, the director of the SAY San Diego Military Family Resource Center.
She said the center — located in the Murphy Canyon military housing area — is seeing an uptick in foot traffic as families prepare for what may come.
While SAY San Diego doesn't necessarily provide direct support, she said, they're in communication with area military commanders and serve as a sort of conduit to connect service members with service providers.
There are almost 100 military and veteran-focused non-profit organizations operating in San Diego County.
Moon said her team is standing by to help connect service members to aid organizations and provide them with information on food banks and food distribution sites countywide.
"We welcome everybody to come over to our resource center," Moon said. "Even if it's just to talk, we have staff here that are willing to listen and help out as much as we can."
Some financial organizations, such as USAA and Navy Federal, are offering interest-free paycheck loans to members with direct deposit history.
Moon's advice is not to pay for anything right now that can be had for free, such as food.
"Save (your) money to go towards things that may be a little bit more difficult to obtain," she said.
Ryan Okita is the director for USO California. He said he doesn't know how sustainable the nonprofit support network is but that they're ready to meet the challenge.
"We have our resources set up for emergencies like this," Okita said. "We're ready to go for the long haul."
SAY San Diego is sharing links to some aid resources here.
Families can also find food help these organizations:
