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Houston Video of Newscast: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/110318-devestating-cuts-aim-at-disabled-Texans Article: HOUSTON - When it comes to providing for adults with intellectual disabilities, the Great State of Texas ain't so great. In fact, the well-earned reputation is "bottom of the American barrel".
These days,
tax-averse, money-strapped state leaders propose to cut funding for this
deeply dependent population as much as 50 percent. It’s a reduction that
would firmly secure the rank of dead last in the nation. Reach Unlimited is a non-profit serving hundreds of mentally-disabled adults in and around Cypress Fairbanks. "It's very scary. I'm not sure Reach Unlimited could stay in business, not only reach Unlimited, but most of the providers in Harris County and the state," she added. That means drastic cuts in staff and a reduction in the number of folks served at Reach Unlimited’s learning activity center: a place where clients can earn wages, learn skills and make friends. The same goes for the group homes where many of these folks reside. "Without that support, I'll be honest: It’s scary to think where they will go or what they will do, but the fact of the situation is they are not going to go away," said Lauren Black, Reach Unlimited's program director. "We have a good many clients who have outlived their family. We are are their family. If we take this away, they won't have anything." Many of the clients at Reach Unlimited fully understand their world is under fire from budget cutters in Austin. On behalf of herself and her friends, Jessica Cranford was more than willing to fire off a message to Rick Perry. "I voted him to be our governor. If he can't get it together, we need to find a new governor. Okay so you better straighten up," said Cranford who works part time at an HEB grocery store. Reach Unlimited's leader wants lawmakers to clearly understand the consequences of proposed budget cuts. "It is going to be devastating, absolutely devastating to the vulnerable populations of Texas," said Schmidt
San Antonio Threat now hangs over a happy home Special-needs residents could lose accommodations.
By Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje Updated 12:01 a.m., Saturday, March 19, 2011 Carol Larson will be the first to tell you she's living the good life. She holds a part-time job as a prep-chef at an assisted living facility. She belongs to a bowling league and a community theater group. She volunteers regularly at her church. The fact that a rare genetic disorder at birth left her legally blind, intellectually disabled and burdened with multiple medical conditions at age 29 hasn't slowed her down one bit. And the reason she can lead this fulfilling, independent life, she'll tell you, stems from her living situation, which now is under threat from potential state budget cuts. Larson — along with five other women who also have various intellectual development disabilities — resides in an intermediate-care group home, a spotless three-bedroom at the end of a cul-de-sac in a North Side subdivision. On a recent afternoon, it was redolent with the aroma of barbecued chicken and squash casserole, that night's dinner. Overseen by a house manager and staff, the women receive 24-hour care that includes medication dispensing, transportation to medical appointments, recreation, life-skills training and other services. Larson said that living in a group home means she's not dependent on her family. “I like being on my own, knowing I can do stuff for myself,” she said. “After all, my mom won't be around forever.” Larson's mother, Kelly Trout, is close to despairing. The group home has proved a godsend, granting her peace of mind while it gives her daughter a measure of freedom mixed with security and the chance to form meaningful relationships with others. “Carol has the life that I prayed for. And now these budget cuts might take it all away. All that we've worked so hard for, just taken away,” she said, speaking softly as tears filled her eyes. Trout refers to proposed cuts to community-based services such as group homes and similar programs that legislators are considering to help bridge a multibillion-dollar budget cut. Such services could be reduced by 31 percent, or $893 million, said Angela Lello, public policy director of the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, a governor-appointed board that addresses disability services. The cuts would mean a yet unknown number of clients would lose their living arrangements. More than 5,000 people live in community-based intermediate care group homes across the state. “If these programs go away, some of these people will end up sitting on the couch all day living with grandma, who may not be physically able to care for their needs,” Lello said. “So their health will deteriorate, their lives will deteriorate. Stress will be placed on families. People who had meaningful lives will be forced to be in more restrictive environments.” There will be a “ripple effect,” she added. Providers will shut down, jobs will be lost. For the mothers gathered around their daughters on a recent afternoon, the issue was personal. “I am so angry,” said Jinx McCombs, whose daughter, Jessica, 32, has mental retardation and has lived in group homes for a decade. “We want these girls to grow old together. They're like sisters. I need to know when I leave this world that she's going to be happy and in a family.” Perhaps the state could stop footing the bill for Gov. Rick Perry's rental mansion as a way to save money, quipped Margaret Freed, whose daughter Karen, 26, has Down syndrome and has “flourished” at the home. The proposed cuts don't make fiscal sense, Trout said. The state, through Medicaid, pays $138 a day to keep Larson in the privately operated group home. It would cost $400 to $500 a day to house her daughter in a state-supported living center, or SSLC, which are run by the state, she said. The San Antonio State Supported Living Center houses about 300 residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “These cuts are a bad idea, because it will force people to live in more costly settings,” Lello said. “If you close group homes, those people have to receive services somewhere, and it will end up being a state-supported living center, a nursing home or the state hospital, if mental illness is involved. Those all cost more” than group homes, she said. Allison Lowery, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, cautions against making direct cost comparisons. While community-based programs are typically less expensive, state-supported living centers provide a more comprehensive array of services, like on-site physician care. The same problem exists when comparing group homes to other residential arrangements, such as nursing homes, she said. Moreover, some families feel strongly that a state center is appropriate for their loved one. “In Texas, individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families have a choice about what setting best suits their needs,” she said. “Our position is that individuals should receive the best possible care in whatever setting they and their loved ones decide is right for them.” Domino effect Lello said group homes tend to offer more intimate, higher-quality care than institutions, even with already low provider reimbursement rates. One study found Texas ranks 24th out of 50 states in per-capita spending on home- and community-based services for those with intellectual development disabilities, or IDD. Zeke Hernandez, CEO of R&K Specialized Homes, which operates 20 group homes serving 120 clients in San Antonio, including the one Larson lives in, said any cut greater than 15 percent likely will cause more than 90 percent of small- to medium-sized providers to shut down. “If group homes close down, other providers like nursing homes, state schools and institutions are under the same (funding cut) threat that we are, so alternative placements might close down as well,” he said. “We're talking about 30 years of progress being removed. I'm not saying this to be sensationalistic, but if a 40 percent cut goes through, we very likely will see people with disabilities living on the street.” Reductions to community-based services would affect the entire developmentally disabled industry, said Pam Stephens, director of community outreach for the ARC of San Antonio, which provides a daytime program and other services to that population. “There will be a domino effect,” she said. Despite the gloomy funding scenario, Larson and her housemates conducted a spirited tour of their group home, which included a screened work-out room and three cozy bedrooms complete with multiple Justin Bieber posters on the walls. “I love it here,” said Jessica Maiewski, who's 23 and has autism. “I'm treated like family here. I always have a smile on my face.”
http://thefacts.com/news/article_ccbf267a-43bc-11e0-bf64-001cc4c03286.html San Antonio Rally for Future Event http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CVPfVYdyXA AUSTIN, Texas — Actress Eva Longoria lobbied lawmakers and spoke at a rally on behalf of the mentally disabled on Tuesday. She said if the Legislature passed proposed cuts in services it would bring "shame on Texas." Hundreds of disabled people, along with their families and helpers, rallied at the capitol. Advocates said they didn't want more money for the disabled, only the current level of spending. Texas lawmakers are grappling with a $27 billion shortfall. The current House bill proposes cutting the Department of Aging and Disability Services by 20 percent, or almost $1 billion. Longoria has a sister with Down's Syndrome. She told the crowd that if Texans understood what these cuts would mean for people like her sister, they would oppose them. She promised to speak out against the cuts.
Midland http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=14061437 Posted: Feb 18, 2011 9:55 PM CST
Nick Lawton MIDLAND - A non-profit in Midland that aids the intellectually disabled could close if proposed state budget cuts become a reality. The Executive Director of the non-profit MARC told NewsWest 9 he's never seen anything like this in his 25 years in the business. The sign outside MARC says "Creating Choices For People With Disabilities". For 51 years in Midland, they've done just that. But this year, their doors could be closed for good. The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services already cut Medicaid reimbursement for them by 3 percent earlier this year, which translates to a loss of more than $100,000. Now, if state budget cuts are approved, they could be losing 10 to 30 percent more. "A 10 percent cut will create a $500,000 deficit in our first year alone," said MARC Executive Director Benjamin Wright. "And those kinds of numbers are gonna create hurdles that I'm not sure we can get over." MARC employs 138 people and aids 115 people across the Basin. They have 16 homes across Midland, a vocational center, and the Opportunity Park in Midland, all of which help provide homes, activities, and jobs for the intellectually disabled. All of that could be gone if just the bare minimum of proposed cuts passes. Not only that, but non-profits like MARC state-wide will suffer. "There is approximately 330 organizations in the state of Texas that do what we do, and they're projecting right now that with the 10 percent cut that 25 percent of those organizations will be gone," Wright said. "What they're contemplating will be a tragedy for the state of Texas," said MARC Board Member and Volunteer Melvin Dunn. Dunn has volunteered there for more than 10 years. These cuts also hit home for him. He has a child who at one point utilized MARC's services. "A large number of the people we serve will wind up at home or in a nursing home," Dunn said. Legislators started meeting to discuss the issue this week, and MARC directors urge West Texans to write to them to stop the cuts that could close them down. "We cannot balance the budget on the backs of those individuals that are most vulnerable in our community," Wright said. "The people that are being served by this budget money did not make mistakes," said Dunn. "And yet they are going to suffer dramatically for the mistake that is about to happen." NewsWest 9 contacted the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services in Austin on Friday for a comment. They said the issue was too premature at the moment to make one, but they did say the vote would happen sometime in May or June. MARC directors gave NewsWest 9 a list of legislators to write to if you want to make your voice heard on the issue.
Steve Ogden,
Texas Senate Finance Chair
Senator Kel
Seliger
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