I fear that when Gov. Mills spoke about the proposed money to be invested in disability services, during her State of the State address, most people came away thinking we were well on our way to solving the housing crisis facing the disability community. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The truth is that over 2,000 disabled Maine citizens have been placed on a waitlist for years to receive the housing and support services they are legally bound to receive in a timely and efficient manner under the Section 21 Medicaid waiver program. The only money in the proposed budget for Section 21 is for those individuals with disabilities who are Priority One: actively being abused, neglected or exploited. There is no money for Priority Two: those individuals with disabilities who are at risk for abuse, neglect or exploitation. This is not who we are as a state.

For many Maine people with disabilities, the last three years have seen the closing of over 70 group homes that provided a safe and stable environment that helped them become valued members of communities. The only choice these individuals had was to move back to family homes with aging parents who can no longer provide 24-hour-a-day care, or move to any open bed, often hours away from family support.

Please join me in asking our legislators to eliminate the Section 21 waitlist, as well as pay a marketable wage to the direct support professionals who care for our most vulnerable citizens.

Kathy Rickards
Brunswick


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