GOVERNMENT
Hochul Allocates $1.5B to Orgs for
Developmentally Disabled NYers
Governor’s funding intended to shore up staffi ng
Governor Kathy Hochul is allocating funds to assist New York organizations serving people with developmental disabilities.
BY BEN VERDE
Governor Kathy Hochul on November
18 announced that New York State
will provide over $1 billion 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
said.
“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
HEARTSHARE HUMAN SERVICES
and credentials to build increase the skilled
workforce.
The funding bump comes after years of brutal
budget cuts and austerity measures toward
non-profi 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 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 nonprofi ts 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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