San Francisco nonprofit groups are sounding the alarm after Democratic Mayor London Breed’s newest budget proposal threatens to leave many of them out in the cold. 

Breed’s plan, which was released last week, attempts to close a nearly $800 million two-year deficit while making good on campaign promises to beef up the city’s police department, reduce homelessness, and spark the economic revitalization of downtown San Francisco. 

“It is clear that the San Francisco budget will be balanced on the backs of the working class residents of San Francisco,” the People’s Budget Coalition, which formed in response to last year’s budget process, said in a statement following Breed’s proposal.

The group has taken issue with the mayor’s plan to bolster police staffing with a 6% budget increase, which lifts the agency’s budget to a record $821.6 million. 

They warned that the money for law enforcement comes at the expense of other city-backed initiatives including after-school programs, community gardens, and workforce development classes, the San Francisco Examiner reported. The programs, the nonprofit groups argue, enrich communities and in some cases help prevent some of the underlying issues of poverty and other catalysts that could lead to criminal activity.

“It is not possible to claim to prioritize economic recovery, homelessness and public safety while cutting funding for the organizations that have a proven track record of keeping our communities afloat,” the PBC statement added.

The group calculates that Breed’s budget would lead to a $39 million reduction in grant funding for programs that help the city’s youth and families from the previous year.

Nonprofit leaders say the lack of funds could force them to lay off staff who work for violence intervention programs, restorative justice programs, and summer learning enrichment programs. 

“Nonprofit organizations are the reason why the homeless get food, housing, and rehabilitation,”  Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 29 head Althea Antoine told 48 Hills. “I feel like a dog who is thrown a bone. Take what you get and be happy.” 

Union representative Jane Bosio told the Washington Examiner on Thursday that it’s hard to ignore the possible motivations behind Breed’s budget decisions.

“The moves she is making with this budget, that it’s overly underproviding for nonprofits and vastly overproviding for health and safety programs such as the police and sheriff’s departments, is really aimed at quieting her critics and boosting her in the polls in a difficult election year,” Bosio said. “The one thing that has been very obvious about the mayor is that she is very moved by the media she receives.”

Bosio added that as nonprofit gorups brace for cuts, Breed has the power to step in and help but won’t. 

“It’s much more concerning to her, it appears, what her image is and what her favorability is as opposed to making long-term decisions,” she said. 

Breed spokeswoman Parisa Safarzadeh told the San Francisco Examiner that the mayor’s proposal sustains funding for many of San Francisco’s homelessness programs.

The budget also includes $133.5 million in funding for the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing that will go in part toward expanding housing options for families and adolescents.

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The budget would also grow San Francisco’s programs focused on early child care and education with an additional $120 million in new investments, Safarzadeh said. 

Breed has faced an onslaught of criticism from her rivals in the mayor’s race, two of whom are sitting supervisors who will vote for or against her budget.