Contact Aspire of WNY by phone at (716) 505-5500
Turning Disabilities into Capabilities
A Call to Action from the Executive Director
02/04/2010
Dear Friend of Aspire,
Aspire is privileged to provide a breadth of services to people with developmental disabilities throughout Western New York. These services are funded by a variety of divisions within New York State. A rough estimate supports that in one form or another, more than 90 percent of our revenues flow through New York State.
Given the unprecedented fiscal challenges facing New York and the recent budget deficits, funding for services to persons with developmental disabilities has been scaled back significantly. Through the 2009/10 budget and the recent midyear cuts, our major payer - the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) - has been cut by $152 million.
Couple this with a philosophical shift from the state in how services should be delivered (not in certified settings like group homes but in families’ homes), and I can state that our “industry” is in the midst of monumental change. New monies are only available for in-home services such as At-Home Res Hab and Hourly Respite, with no funds available for any new Group Homes or Day Hab sites.
In the short term, cuts have impacted Aspire and similar agencies in a negative but limited way. We have laid staff off, closed deficit programs, foregone wage increases and reduced community outings. To the credit of Aspire staff, we have minimized the impact on the individuals we serve.
The recently released state budget begins cuts to Day Hab in May, begins cuts to Group Homes in October and seeks to implement radical changes to Medicaid Service Coordination services. With such deep and (most importantly) recurring cuts, agencies like Aspire won’t be able to mitigate the loss in funding.
As we always do, we ask that you advocate with your state legislator for adequate funding for services for the disabled. If you are the family member of an individual with a developmental disability, then we ask that you seriously consider joining a rapidly expanding Family Group facilitated by the Developmental Disabilities Alliance of WNY (DDAWNY). I have always seen family members as the “sleeping giant” when it comes to successful advocacy. If interested, please e-mail Max Donatelli at maxjoy@roadrunner.com or call 646-3187 for details.
Sincerely,
Thomas Sy
Executive Director
Aspire of WNY