Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget cuts $750,000 in funding from Independent Living Centers (ILC), which act as one-stop-shops for people living with disabilities who need to navigate government services.
“We provide services like housing navigation, benefits navigation, transitioning out of nursing homes and preventing people from going into nursing homes,” explained Elizabeth McCormick, director of advocacy for the New York Association on Independent Living.
Additionally, the state’s 41 ILCs are run by people living with disabilities, so when there are cuts to the program, opportunities for leadership experience and career development are also eliminated.
The current year budget for ILCs is $16 million. McCormick and her colleague, Blaise Bryant, are pushing for a base increase to $25 million.
Another important issue for disability rights advocates is a cost-of-living increase (COLA), which is something it hasn’t seen in years.
This workforce isn’t categorized under the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), so unlike other members of the human service workforce, they aren’t eligible for a COLA. Instead, their funding comes from the education budget.
“Within our network is a lot of turnover,” Bryant said.
Bryant points to some legislation he thinks could fix the issue. A bill carried by state Sen. Roxanne Persaud and Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi would ensure that this cohort of human service workers receives the same COLA that other workers are entitled to.
According to both Bryant and McCormick, there is also a housing crisis for people living with disabilities that the governor’s budget exacerbates.
“It is very difficult for people with disabilities to find housing that is accessible,” McCormick said. “One of the programs that is supported by our Independent Living Centers is ‘Access to Home,’ which provides housing modifications like a ramp to get in your front doors or a grab bars in the bathroom.”
Access to Home allows people with disabilities to age in place. Last year’s budget included $5 million for Access to Home. In this year’s executive budget proposal, there is $1 million.
“The disability rights community is being left out of a lot of areas here within the state budget, to be frank,” Bryant stated. “We have a Master Plan for Aging. There’s going to be a forthcoming Olmstead Plan. Not funding [Access to Home], not investing in services and supports, is a total contradiction of both these plans and is in alignment with what’s happening federally.”
In response to a request for comment from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office, her spokesperson sent the following statement:
“Governor Hochul will always be a champion for New York’s most vulnerable, which is why to date, funding for nearly 9,000 units of supportive housing has been committed and the State is well on its way to reaching the goal of 10,000 supportive units as part of the Governor’s $25 billion housing plan to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes.”
The Access to Home program has been traditionally funded at $1 million in the governor’s executive budget. Each year, additional funding comes from the Legislature.