Amerindian Center surviving on its own

By Malavika Jagannathan

It's Thursday — and although the doors of the United Amerindian Center are closed to the public because of funding cuts — the TRAILS after-school program for young Native Americans continues to meet.

Next door, a flower shop — the first of what could be many more business ventures under the center's umbrella — is being spruced up for its opening.

These are a few signs that indicate that the center, which in the past month has had to sharply drop or limit many of its services, is far from dead, says executive director Stephen Crowe.

"People are telling me 'I can't believe you've stayed open this long,'" said Crowe, who started at his post in March after a series of directors in the past year. Since early May, the center has been cut off from funding through the Indian Health Services that accounted for $2 million in annual operation costs.

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