Viviana Quijada, 8, left, Airam Delgado, 5, Soraida Franco, 7, and Mary Ann Moreno, 5, may have nowhere to go if the center closes for good.

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Dozens of South Tucson kids are facing the loss of a neighborhood center that for six decades has provided local children with a place to go after school.

The House of Neighborly Service on West 33rd Street will shut down Tuesday for at least 30 days as officials try fill a financial shortfall of about $80,000.

The non-profit agency has experienced reduced funding from its three sources of revenue — Pima County, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and private donors — and Executive Director John R. Irey said he's got few options left.

He said he's asked the city of South Tucson for money but so far has had no luck. South Tucson Mayor Jennifer Eckstrom was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

To save money, the staff took 30 percent pay cuts, Irey said.

The after-school program, which for years was free for families, began charging $5 per month. Now it's up to $1 per day, which is about $20 per month for most families. But the center doesn't turn any kids away.

"Most of our kids live with single parents who work," Irey said. "I am worried about them. I do think some will go home to an empty house. … Everything we do is prevention. Our kids are all at risk."

The agency's operating budget of $400,000 last year is now down to $350,000. As regular donors give less, the budget shrinks. Irey, the center's executive director, said he's having trouble making payroll.

The organization has three full-time employees, including Irey, plus eight part-timers and a handful of volunteers.

The House of Neighborly Service is open five days a week, and in addition to after school programs for kids, it has activities for seniors, a food pantry, a tattoo removal program and a popular jump rope program for kids called "Double Dutch."

The center includes a basketball court and a playground — the only playground aside from schools in South Tucson, Irey said. Between 80 and 100 elementary, middle school and high school kids use the center each week, officials say.

And as the budget has been shrinking, demand has gone up. The center now hands out 70 food boxes per week, up from about 25 per week a year ago, Irey said.

Throughout September, Irey said he will be working to secure other funding options. If all goes well, the center will reopen Oct. 1.

"Shutting down for a month will help us. We'll save between $20,000 and $30,000," he said.

As she sat inside the "Escuelita" — little school — building at the center Wednesday, 8-year-old Viviana Quijada completed her third-grade spelling homework, writing out such words as "department" and "organize" five times each.

"I'd miss getting help with my homework," Viviana said.

Jael Soto, 9, wasn't sure where she'll go when school lets out for the day next week. Maybe she'll get a baby sitter, she said. Jael was one of 19 children in the room, all elementary school age.

Jael typically goes to the center every day after school, usually staying a couple of hours. She's had the same routine since second grade, and she's now in the fourth grade.

She took a break to show off her new light blue knapsack with butterflies on it — one of several that were donated to the center, which provides kids with school supplies each August.

Jael also likes the books at the center, which encourages the kids to read by setting group goals.

This month's goal is for 25 elementary school kids in the program collectively to read 200 books.

When the kids reach their goal, they are rewarded with a field trip, such as an outing to Peter Piper Pizza or to a bowling alley.

"A lot of their parents don't speak English and aren't able to help them with homework," said Emily Hamrick, 19, a reading specialist in the after-school program. She is a sophomore at the University of Arizona.

"If this isn't around in the long-term, I'd worry about their grades dropping, and about them getting into trouble," Hamrick said.

Arturo Piña, 11, said he's also not sure what he'll do next week when the program is suspended. He likes going to the center to play basketball and use the computer lab, he said.

Victor Contreras, 9, said he'll probably go to his grandpa's house after school when the center is closed. But he is counting on it to reopen.

"It's a place where I can do homework and play and read books," Victor said. "I'd miss the people and the staff."

When he grows up, Victor said he'd like to be a police officer in South Tucson, so that he can patrol the streets around the center and maybe catch the people who put graffiti on the center's walls every weekend.

Hamrick doesn't know whether she'll be back after the month's hiatus. She needs the paycheck and said she'll have to pursue other employment.

Parent Anne Peralta said she's not sure what she'll do for her 10-year-old son, Chris, if the program closes permanently.

Chris attends Mission View Elementary School, and both Peralta and her husband are at work all day.

"My son has ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), and he's had a lot of problems in day care and after school programs," Peralta said.

"This place has been a godsend for us. They have taught and enforced the social skills he needed. He's more understanding of the needs of others. ... I feel this place is full of angels. They love and care for him."

The center's motto is, "The house with heart."

Like his mother, Chris Peralta is trying not to think about the center closing. It's a place where he fits in.

"The kids who live around here would be, like, running in the streets," he said.

The center began in 1948 as a mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which still owns the property and allows the agency to use it free of charge.

After-school program coordinator Daniela Lopez, a 22-year-old Pima Community College student, plans to help Irey with fundraising during next month's closure. She is hopeful she'll have her job back Oct. 1.

"It would be horrible after 60 years to say we're closing down," she said.