BY BILL PARRY
The COVID-19 pandemic
proved two things when it
comes to essential workers in
Queens: Not all heroes wear
capes, and there aren’t enough
of them, especially when it
comes to staffing group homes
for people with developmental
disabilities.
Organizations that provide
supports and services to this
vulnerable population in residences
across the borough have
been plagued with a chronic
shortage of Direct Support
Professionals (DSPs) since the
onset of the public health emergency
more than 19 months
ago, and still, these providers
are having difficulty filling
positions.
“I’ve worked at the agency
for more than 25 years and in
all that time it was never this
bad,” Queens Centers for Progress
Director of Adult Services
Ed Weiss said. “All of our programs
are struggling but the
staffing of our residences remains
problematic. You need
people who can work with our
clients within the six feet of social
distancing while wearing
a mask and PPE to take care
of individuals. Our staff are
paid at minimum wage which
certainly makes it challenging
especially when they can get a
job in a fast-food establishment
with less responsibility.”
Intellectual and developmental
disability service providers
are funded by the state
and wages for DSPs have been
stagnant for years. Budget restraints
make it difficult to attract
and retain staff during
normal times, and the pandemic
exacerbated the problem.
Queens Centers for Progress
has participated in the borough
president’s office monthly
virtual job fair to fill positions
at its residences in Jackson
Heights, Jamaica Estates and
its Bellerose campus, where
there are five homes.
“When you’re already working
TIMESLEDGER | Q 4 NS.COM | OCT. 8 - OCT. 14, 2021
with a skeleton crew you
have a hard time bringing in
new people,” Weiss said. “We’re
hoping Governor Kathy Hochul
sees things differently than
Cuomo did.”
YAI, previously known as
Young Adult Institute, is an organization
serving people with
intellectual and developmental
disabilities in New York City
since 1957 and runs homes in
Ozone Park and Jamaica. Residence
supervisor Jamie Stein
said the ongoing workforce
crisis damages morale and
staff mental health.
“The industry has always
had a high turnover rate, but
during COVID-19 it has gotten
especially bad,” Stein said.
“Wages are a top concern
among staff. We’re doing a lot
more than just taking care of
people we support. We’re working
very closely with them,
very hands-on, and if everybody
could see what we do to
support people, they would understand
we’re underpaid.”
Queens Centers for Progress, which celebrated their frontline
workers with a car parade last spring, continues to deal with
staffing shortages at its group homes. Courtesy of QCP
According to the Human
Services Research Center, 41.5
percent of DSPs are people of
color. This makes the low wages
a racial justice issue, with
many advocates asking the
state why a job where almost
half of the workers are people of
color is set at such a low wage.
Turnover, shortages, and pressure
to perform among staff
hurt the people they support,
too, Stein explained.
“We form bonds with the
people we support and earn
their trust. When staff leaves,
the people ask us, ‘Why did
they leave? I really liked them,
and I would like them back,’”
Stein said.
YAI has mobilized to engage
federal legislators including
Senate Majority Leader
Charles Schumer, who hopes to
pass President Joe Biden’s massive
infrastructure bill by late
October. The legislation would
provide $400 billion for services
for people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities.
“Whatever happens, it is
crucial the federal government
hears from staff themselves,”
Stein said. “My staff work extremely
hard and take a lot of
pride in our work. If only everybody
could see that and what
we do to support people.”
Queens organization providing group
homes for people with developmental
disabilities cope with staff shortages
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