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Hearing Held to Determine Impact from Funding Reductions, First Steps Towards Sustainability


Hearing Held to Determine Extent of Impact from Funding Reductions on Community Services for People with Developmental Disabilities, and First Steps Towards a Sustainable Future for the System

It’s been said in the past that the regional centers are at the hub of the community service system, they connect all of the various spokes together in a central place by coordinating the services and supports that children and adults with developmental disabilities rely on to be active, productive and contributing members in their communities. The spokes, if you will, are made up of the service providers, families and other community organizations that provide the services and supports directly to regional center clients. Together they formed a well-honed wheel. For many years this system worked reasonably well despite the challenges of chronic underfunding.

However, with the many budget cuts, rate freezes and restrictions placed on regional centers and service providers during the “Great Recession” some of the spokes began to fail. When one spoke breaks, the rest of them bear up for a while under the added stress/pressure, but eventually another one breaks, and then another one, until a critical point has been reached, where the other ones can no longer compensate and hold the wheel together. This is the case with the community service system today. Both providers and regional centers have been significantly degraded. The quality of services has suffered by the inability to hire and keep qualified staff; the inability to maintain, repair and invest in facilities and equipment; and that a number of providers reluctantly made the difficult decision to close their doors. Today, the system that is relied upon by over 270,000 children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families is at a critical point of breaking down.

Earlier this year, the California Legislature named 2014 as the “Year of the Community” and the beginning of a decade of renewed commitment to both the vision of the Lanterman Act and the investments needed to ensure a sustainable future for California’s community service system. Read the resolution

On October 9, 2014, an informational hearing in Los Angeles, was a first step in charting the way forward for the regional center service system as a whole. The California Senate Human Services Committee, chaired by Senator Jim Beall heard testimony from parents, providers, regional centers and advocates on the state of the community service system.

Following is a summary from Lanterman Executive Director Melinda Sullivan of the testimony shared at the hearing: “The hearing was pretty passionate. There were nonprofit organizations that reported the inability to fundraise enough to close the gap and making decisions to close day services or residential homes. Families talked about the turnover, due to providers’ inability to pay well enough to retain staff. There was a consistent theme that service providers have been hurt by the last several years of cuts and freezes, which in turn has impacted clients and families. One parent commented that while there may not be formal waiting lists for services, the fact that providers do not have adequate staff inadvertently causes a waiting list because they need to hire staff before they can accept a new referral. The Lanterman Coalition, which includes ARCA, (the Association of Regional Center Agencies) is advocating for an immediate 10 percent increase and a 5 percent annual increase for providers and regional centers while the Department Of Developmental Services and special taskforces work to develop long-term strategies.” Read ARCA’s complete written testimony

Change is coming to the regional center system regardless, by way of changes at the federal level. Federal funding accounts for 40 percent of the financial support for the community based system of services and supports. (read more in the CDCAN report) However, we can influence the changes and decisions at the state level, and we all have an obligation to be part of the solution. Work is far from complete, and an important lesson learned from the past, is that we cannot leave the fate of our system in other people’s hands. Our representatives need to hear from us, we need to go talk to our state senators and assemblymembers in the districts that we live.

The impetus is there in the Legislature, but they need to hear and see that we’re serious about restoring our programs and services starting with an emergency 10 percent across-the-board increase in provider rates and regional center operating funds to stabilize the system and stop the crumbling. The ARC and UCP California Collaboration sent out an e-mail with a number of helpful tips that each of us can carry out to do our part to help restore services for people with developmental disabilities. Read more in their action alert about what steps you can individually take