Hochul frees up $1.5B for orgs working with disabled residents
BY BEN VERDE
Gov. Kathy Hochul on
Thursday announced that
New York State will provide
over a billion dollars in funding
for organizations that assist
people with developmental
disabilities, in an effort to
attract new recruits and fi ght
staffi ng shortages at those organizations.
The governor will earmark
$1.5 billion from the
American Rescue Plan to
fund recruitment, retention
and vaccine incentive programs
for direct support
professionals working with
people with developmental
disabilities, her offi ce announced
on Nov. 18.
“Direct Support Professionals
provided essential
support to people with developmental
disabilities
throughout the pandemic
when we needed them most,
in spite of the risk to themselves
and their own families,”
Hochul said. “We owe
these workers a debt of gratitude
and the American Rescue
Plan funding paves the
way for bonuses, incentives
and one time pay raises to
help keep these hardworking,
loyal and devoted workers doing
what they love most, supporting
people with developmental
disabilities.”
The added funding aims
to increase retention in three
ways: by setting up a “heroes
fund” for direct support professionals
working during
the pandemic with additional
incentives for those who get
vaccinated, by adding the
possibility of longevity bonuses
for staff who remain in
the workforce, and by incentivizing
workers to earn further
qualifi cations and credentials
to build increase the
skilled workforce.
The funding bump comes
after years of brutal budget
cuts and austerity measures
toward nonprofi ts that work
with the developmentally disabled,
which have left most
workers doing the diffi cult
work of the industry making
little more than minimum
wage.
Low wages make it hard
for agencies to fi ll staffi ng
gaps, leading to dangerous
staffi ng levels and grueling
shifts for workers.
“Our staffi ng levels are at
such critical lows that it’s really
A direct support professional works with a student. Photo courtesy HeartShare Human Services
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, N 26 OV. 26-DEC. 2,2021 BTR
at a tipping point now,”
said Joe Riley, the director
of the Guild for Exceptional
Children, a Brooklyn-based
nonprofi t that offers schooling
and other services to children
and adults with developmental
disabilities.
The pandemic has seen a
signifi cant portion of Riley’s
staff take medical leave or
seek better paying work elsewhere,
leaving his staff depleted.
A low pay-rate makes
it hard to attract new hires,
especially given the challenging
nature of the job, made
more dangerous during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
“You’re up close and personal,
you’re taking care of
all the needs of these individuals,”
Riley said. “It’s a complex
job that requires specialized
training.”
Riley believes the government
should permanently increase
funding for nonprofits
to allow for better pay for
their workers.
“They should be making
more than $15 an hour,” Riley
said. “Then we’re not competing
with fast-food restaurants
and other industries for
the same staff.”
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