State cuts could hurt local Arc clientele
Douglas Palmer relies on say aid for the disabled to live and he is worried about cuts recently imposed by Gov. Rick Scott.
The 48-year-old Palatka resident stated help from The Arc of Putnam enables him to live and work.
“If it was not for them there would not be us,” he stated Friday. “They provide services that help us go to the doctor, dentist, and grocery shopping.”
Palmer stated he lives alone and works at St. Johns River State College with the help of a coach provided by The Arc.
“It is mostly about all of us together,” he said. “It’s everybody because we are family.”
Scott’s recent executive order has forced The Arc to spend reserves to cover the next three months, but programs will be curtailed after that, program director John Townsend said.
Townsend addressed about 30 clients during a meeting Friday morning.
“It is supportive living services and supportive employment that brings us together,” he said. “For the first time in the history of our bureau those services are in danger.” Those two programs provide individuals with developmental disabilities a way to live in their own homes and also receive support with job placement and maintaining a job, he said.
Suzanne Costa stated the coaches teach her how to live independently.
“They teach me how to cook, they teach me how to manage my money and they help me take care of my health,” she said. “They teach me how to manage each day life and how to make it easier.”
About half of the funding comes from the federal government and the rest from the state, Townsend said.
“The reality is that the say of Florida has to cut $800 million from their overall budget and they are looking at services from The Arc,” he said. “Because the say Agency for Persons with Disabilities was running a deficit the governor signed an 90-day executive order that stated he would reduce the rates that agencies like us can charge immediately by 15 percent.”
For agencies that supply supportive living and supportive employment services with a coach, not single providers, the cuts are more severe, he said.
“What that means is that the supportive living program is taking a 35 percent cut and the supportive employment program is taking a 29 percent cut,” he said. “The biggest issue is what happens in next year’s budget.”
Townsend stated without the services his bureau provides many of his clients would be forced to leave their homes.
“We need to communicate to our governor and legislators the importance of these services,” he said. “This battle is not over.”
The Arc of Putnam County has provided services and support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1974.
More source:
Proposed health care cuts will hurt the most vulnerable | The News ...Mental Health Facilities in Shoals Prepares For Budget Cuts
Gov's budget continues the cuts « COFAR blog
Agency's monthly event could be budget casualty - Standard Speaker
Random News
- Kapan Waktu Terbaik Minum Vitamin?
- Local Man Hospitalized With West Nile Virus
- Video: Ed Basner, roving rock sculptor
- Study Links Feeding Babies On Demand, IQ
- Jamaica moves to improve access to health care services
- Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath ruled out of game at FC Dallas
- Sick days increase with stress: Study
- What is it? Name that vegetable, then add these gems to your culinary repertoire
- Tokyo, a city on edge amid nuclear emergency
- Gay activist's murder prompts provincial review
Submited at Monday, April 11th, 2011 at 9:00 am on Uncategorized by Gillan
Comment RSS 2.0 - leave a comment - trackback
