RI Plans Moving Toward Shared Residential Living Model

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — In an effort to close a projected $6-million shortfall, the state Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals plans to move up to 300 adults with developmental disabilities from group homes into shared residential living arrangements by the end of March.

Maria Montanaro, the agency's director, said it's a model the state should be moving toward regardless of whether there is a budget crisis. Still, she acknowledged that moving that many people that quickly is aggressive and might not be achievable. There are currently 3,800 individuals with developmental disabilities receiving state care. Roughly 1,300 of those individuals are in group homes.

92-Year-Old Institution Closes in Tenn.

On Nov. 19, the last six residents were moved from Clover Bottom, ending an era of institutionalizing people with low IQs or other intellectual disabilities away from their communities, a practice that in recent years had come with a huge price tag for taxpayers - about half a million dollars per resident per year.

Like many states, Tennessee has moved slowly in the direction of closing its institutions. Clover Bottom was originally scheduled to be closed in 2005.

Its former residents -- many elderly and in poor health -- have been moved into small homes run by the state or by private subcontractors.

Editorial: Va. Prepares for Closures

In only five years, all but one of Virginia’s training centers, as the residential complexes for Virginians with intellectual and developmental disabilities are known, will be closed. Only one facility, with just 75 beds and located in Tidewater Virginia, will remain open; Central Virginia Training Center in Madison Heights will shut its doors in 2020.
It’s all part of how the commonwealth chose to implement a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over Virginia’s handling of the care, treatment and housing of people with profound developmental disabilities.

In Canada, Agencies Urge Delaying New Residential Safety Rules

Interesting story from Canada. Definitely see why providers have concerns.

With inspectors throughout Alberta poised to start auditing homes, social service agencies that help people with developmental disabilities are urging the provincial government to delay the implementation of new safety regulations.
The beefed-up rules are aimed at creating a safer environment for clients of Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) who live in the community, but agencies in the sector say the new standards will prompt landlords who rent to PDD recipients to evict those tenants rather than undertake costly renovations.

Kansas Agency Closes Group Home

ATWOOD, Kan. — The continuation of shortfalls in funding for Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas has once again caused the organization to restructure many of its services for people with developmental disabilities across northwest Kansas, according to a DSNWK media release.“Needless to say, we continue to be frustrated with the lack of needed funding for Kansans with developmental disabilities,” said Jerry Michaud, DSNWK president. “Each year, we seem to find ourselves losing ground when we have to face inflation along with rising health care and operating costs,”

Bills Strengthen Maryland Group Homes

Advocates for the disabled are hopeful that legislation passed by the General Assembly will give Maryland regulators more tools to fix dangerous conditions at state-licensed facilities — such as the one where a 10-year-old Baltimore boy died last year.

The two bills — the most recent of several reforms enacted after a Baltimore Sun investigation into group homes — empower regulators to respond more aggressively when they find problems at such facilities. The reforms are designed to improve how regulators monitor the financial stability and health care quality of state contractors hired to care for disabled adults and children.

Nebraska County Struggles to Be Compliant on Group Homes

So disturbing the reactions of area residents in their efforts to restrict group homes in their community. What makes them think that the individuals who would live in those homes are any different ... they want a nice place to live, good friendships and relationships, a job or meaningful activity and the opportunity to learn new skills while enjoying access to the community. 

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — Grand Island developer Greg Baxter told the Regional Planning Commission Wednesday night that he’s glad he wears boots and not the shoes of Regional Planning Director Chad Nabity, Grand Island Building Director Craig Lewis and Fire Marshal Fred Hotz.

Nabity, Lewis and Hotz have been working for months on addressing a fair housing complaint filed against both Grand Island and Hall County by the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission.

The complaint essentially says that the city and county zoning regulations are out-of-date and out-of compliance with federal fair housing regulations as defined by case law handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Report: Abuse Ignored at Group Homes

SEATTLE -- A watchdog organization says the state is failing to protect some of Washington's most vulnerable people — those with developmental disabilities who live in group homes. Disability Rights Washington says overworked investigators focus on rule compliance, often overlooking the substance of complaints.

Panel Urges N.J. to Expand Community Services

TRENTON, N.J. -- Trenton should spend all of the mon­ey it saves shutting down state institutions for the disabled in Totowa and Wood­bridge on building up a community-based replacement system of housing and care, according to the state task force that rec­ommended the closures.
But the governor’s office stopped short of making that commitment. In a state­ment Friday, a spokesman for Governor Christie said only that the administration will continue to make “significant invest­ments” in community services for the de­velopmentally disabled.

Emotions Run High as Group Home Denied

Seems as if NIMBY is alive and well. Despite the slowing of group home development, the attitudes and fears continue at full speed.

HERRIN, Ill. -- More than 80 people — including about 20 who were standing — packed the Herrin City Council meeting Monday, the topic drawing high emotions.
The council had to decide whether to overrule the city’s zoning appeals board and grant a special use permit to The H Group to use a house it purchased as a group home for four developmentally disabled residents.
Speakers on behalf of the group home included Mayor Vic Ritter, Alderman Elizabeth Issler and even a resident of the subdivision where the home is located. She said she and most of her neighbors would not have signed petitions against the group home if a meeting had been held first so they would have known the facts.
A disabled veteran from Marion asked if he could be refused the right to live in his own subdivision because he suffers from service-related stress. His impassioned speech brought the crowd to its feet in tribute.
But in the end, only Issler and Alderman Robert Craig voted for the special use permit; the other six aldermen voted against allowing the home.

At Last, a Home of Their Own

One of the few times I will give a shout out to our organization. This group home has been in the works for about a decade. I know the individuals who will be moving in and their families. It's so important and I can't wait to join them tomorrow for moving day.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- Every parent has mixed emotions about letting their baby leave home - but these Brooklyn moms and dads are feeling it big time.
With bittersweet joy, the parents will watch their six disabled adult children move into a home of their own in Midwood on Tuesday.
“It’s difficult for me to deal with the transition but I’m happy he will be living with people that he knows,” said Park Slope parent Ruth Ford whose son Maurice, 31, is among the six adults with Down Syndrome or Asperger’s Syndrome who will move into the two-story newly-renovated house on E. 52d St.
“They love each other and they care for each other,” said Ford.

Editorial: Placing People Ahead of Finances

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- We are firmly on record advocating that Illinois move away from its reliance on large institutions to house the developmentally disabled.
Housing people with developmental disabilities in large facilities is an antiquated, expensive and, most importantly, ineffective way of allowing the disabled to live the fullest and most productive lives possible. By and large, advocates for the developmentally disabled favor providing residential care in residential settings — group homes with six or fewer residents supervised by a properly trained staff.

High-Tech Home Offers Independence for Man with Down Syndrome

MINNEAPOLIS -- On a recent tour of his home, Jeremy Collins showed off his kitchen, his chair, his bed, his new shower.

It's a dream come true for the 31-year-old who has Down syndrome, and who had lived in group homes all of his adult life. Since April, he's lived on his own in a Coon Rapids townhouse, with a web of support that includes his parents, his caregivers and landlords, Anoka County and a technology company that all work together to help him be safe and continue to grow in independence and confidence.

Medicaid Overhaul Jeopardizes Funding

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- For all of her 32 years, Holly Van Hart has required constant care.
She's like a toddler — sometimes good, sometimes terrible.
And recently, violent.
Holly attacked her mother with a wrought-iron wine rack, bruising her, and pulled out clumps of hair.
"I had to call 9-1-1," said her mother, Phyllis.
Holly and Phyllis, 54, have lived a rollercoaster life together, but Phyllis always coped.
Now, Phyllis is at wit's end.
The Endicott mother had two chances more than five years ago to put Holly in a group home.
Now, even if she can bring herself to do it, a spot in a government-funded home no longer may be an option. Some families already have to wait years for placement, and no new homes are on the horizon as the state struggles with a tenuous fiscal situation.

Progress Claimed in Reporting Abuse

A continuation of the Times series regarding abuse of the developmentally disabled. A simply horrific situation.

ALBANY — Roughly 40 percent of the allegations of physical abuse of the developmentally disabled at group homes and institutions in New York in recent months were not reported to law enforcement authorities, a senior state official said on Monday.

The official, Courtney Burke, the new commissioner of the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, revealed that figure as the Cuomo administration laid out initial steps that it said it was taking to reform the state’s care of the disabled.

Ms. Burke and another administration official testified at a State Assembly hearing that underscored the steep challenges facing efforts to improve the system.

Jacksonville Community Planned for People with Developmental Disabilities

While I can understand that people are thrilled that there will finally be a place for their adult children, I do agree with Lee Henderson that this community is a step backward and promotes segregation, rather than inclusion. I'm all for development for community-based services, but this does seem to be a bit off. Our field has come so far from the days of secluding and warehousing individuals with disabilities in institutions (though yes, some still exist) and The Hodges Community just seems to be headed the wrong way. Thoughts?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- After years of discussion and planning, a proposal for a 32-acre community for people with developmental disabilities is moving forward.
An initiative of The Arc Jacksonville, The Hodges Community would include independent and semi-independent living, as well as recreational and transportation opportunities and a community center. It is set to break ground in 2013 and would take five to 10 years to build.

Cruel Cuts May Uproot Men From Home

GASTONIA, N.C. -- After years of battling the developmental disabilities they were born with, Eric Falls and Clint McManus have found a measure of ease in the local group home they have shared since 2004.
The quiet, stable environment with round-the-clock attention has done for the men what previous years spent living in state institutions could not. And yet a complex state funding issue may soon force them to move back into a more crowded special needs facility, despite the fact that taxpayers could end up spending more for the men’s care if that happens.

10-Year Wait for Home May Grow Longer

MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- When Jeanne Fehr got word after a 10-year wait that her 31-year-old daughter, Nealy Rothe, would likely get state funding to live on her own, Fehr was thrilled.
Rothe, who has Down syndrome, works a part-time job but would need help managing money, taking the bus and with some chores if she were to move from the Milwaukee home she shares with her mother. Rothe said she is looking forward to having her own apartment.
But that excitement was tempered with Gov. Scott Walker's proposed freeze on enrollments in the state's Family Care program, which helps pay for community care of elderly and disabled people.

N.J. Assemblywoman Seeks Impact Study Prior to Closing Developmental Center

TRENTON, N.J. -- Gov. Chris Christie should halt any plans to close the Vineland Developmental Center in Cumberland County until a new legislative panel has studied the impact on its disabled residents, the chairwoman of the Assembly Human Services Committee announced today.
In a letter to Human Services Commissioner Jennifer Velez who oversees state institutions, Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) questioned the administration's recent transfer of 59 Vineland residents. Two-thirds of them were sent to one of the six other institutions serving people with developmental disabilities while the remaining residents moved into community housing.

An Historic Day in Jordan

One of the most exciting days not only in Jordan but also in New York City, for the staff of the YAI Network. Yes, this is one of those times where I get to toot our own horn. It couldn't have happened without the support of High Royal Highness Prince Ra'ad bin Zeid, the staff of the Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities, and the USAID.

AMMAN, Jordan -- HRH Prince Raad, president of the Higher Council for Affairs of Persons with Disabilities (HCD), on Wednesday inaugurated two group homes for 12 citizens with intellectual disabilities in Zuhom, Karak.
The homes, which were modelled to suit their residents’ needs, are the first of such developments at the national and regional levels, according to an HCD statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.
"To provide our citizens with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to live independently is an historic national and regional milestone," Prince Raad said at the inauguration ceremony, noting that this realisation "has long been a personal dream of mine.".
He added that the project is a living example of social responsibility and sound planning between the HCD, the Ministry of Social Development and the YAI Network, noted that the determination of those executing the project made his dream a reality.
Minister of Social Development Salwa Damen, together with representatives from the YAI Network and USAID, which financed the project through the Ministry of Planning and International Co-operation, also attended the inauguration ceremony, the statement said.