What a Year It has Been!

Seems like the more things change the more they stay the same.  This seems to be especially true in our grand state of California.  Here we are in late August and we still have no state budget (it was supposed to be in place July 1st).  But the same was true last year and the year before that and the year before that!  California is certainly in a very serious predictament and we can only hope and pray that it gets resolved.

No Ordinary Moments gets 100% of it's operating monies from the state (via the various regional centers).  Because of the financial crisis statewide No Ordinary Moments has had to dramatically change how it operates. At  our peak we had 320 staff. As of August 20th we paid 226 staff.  The state has required us to cut our costs by 3% and there is an additional 1.25% cut waiting to be enacted when the budget is signed.  Earlier this year I voluntarily took a 35% decrease in my rates charged for providing care to most of our crisis cases.  I say voluntarily because it was my choice to do so, but the reality of the situation was that there were other agencies out there willing to work our cases for much less.  I agreed to the reduction in order to continue operating the crisis team, which is where nearly 50% of our staff work.  Many of our supported living consumers have seen their budgets reduced while continuing to receive the same services.  Many are being asked to move out of the home they have been living in for years and move to Anaheim where their HUD application is filed.  Some are being told they can no longer live alone and must find a roommate.  The possibility exists that if a new budget is not put in place by October 1st, the Regional Center of Orange County will have to shut down and agencies like this one will not be paid for providing care to our developmentally disabled consumers. 

While it may be easy to complain and say we are being treated unfairly or to say the consumer's rights are being violated, it would not be the right thing to do. The whole state is hurting. Everyone I know is feeling the effects of the situation.  No Ordinary Moments is not being singled out.  The Dept. of Developmental Disabilities is not being singled out.  This financial crisis is affecting everyone who receives money from the state.  The truth is, the Dept. of Developmental Disabilities has fared better than many other agencies in the state.  The Regional Center of Orange County has, in the past, been more willing to do whatever it could to see that it's consumers had as high a quality of life as possible.  Their philosophy remains the same.  It just comes down to the fact that the state of California is broke and everyone has to suffer the consequences. 

If you work for No Ordinary Moments I know that this does little to help you pay your bills or save for the future.  If you are a staff member or a consumer's family member reading this I know it can be very unsettling and scary to not know what is going to happen.  Things are not good right now and the best we can hope for is that things don't get worse and that solutions to the long term problems are implemented. 

I will be more diligent in updating you in a timely fashion. There is an excellent website that I find very valuable and informative. It provides up to the minute news on what is happening in Sacramento regarding our population.  It is  www.cdcan.net   

Take care,

Lou