Ray Graham Assoc. Impact Statement

Ray Graham Association2801 Finley Road

Downers Grove, IL 60515

(630) 620-2222www.raygraham.org

Impact of State of Illinois FY 2010 Budget Cuts on Families receiving services from Ray Graham Association for People with Disabilities

On June 12, 2009 Ray Graham Association was notified that funds for the following RGA programs are completely eliminated beginning July 1, 2009. The following programs no longer exist at Ray Graham Association beginning July 1, 2009

Respite and DuPage Work Group –586 families no longer receive financial assistance for the provision of care for children and adults with disabilities. Respite allows families to remain employed and stay together. Without this support, family members may need to resign from their employment to provide care for their child with a disability.

Group Respite – this respite program was offered at three RGA Community Learning Centers for adults with disabilities to remain at the Community Learning Center and participate in recreational and learning activities. 18 families can no longer utilize the program. This respite program allowed families to remain employed by extending care until the end of the work day.

Bednorz Residential Respite – the Bednorz Respite home is closed and no longer offers residential care to 98 families for their children with disabilities. Without this program, families will not have a safe place with trained staff to leave their child with a disability when there is an emergency need.

Regular Work – this funding source provided 41 adults with disabilities that live in the community the opportunity to attend RGA Community Learning Centers for day programming. For many of these families this was the only program available to their child. Now families must find affordable care in order to maintain employment and their family member with a disability may have to stay at home with little access to their community.

DHS-funded Supported Employment – this program assisted 35 individuals with disabilities to find employment and provided job coaching and other assistance to promote their successful employment. Without a job coach, many of these individuals will lose their jobs.

Supported Living Arrangements (SLA) – Ray Graham staff intermittently assisted 24 adults with disabilities in their apartments to improve daily living skills as well as focus on problem solving and access to community resources. Without funding, there will be no staff support for the individuals that live there. Without staff support it is doubtful that these people with disabilities will be able to continue living independently in the community. Many will have nowhere to live.

With these cuts, currently 900 people with disabilities that participate in Ray Graham Association programs are no longer receiving services. These program cuts not only affect the individuals participating in the programs but also their families, Ray Graham Association staff, and the community at large.

Ray Graham Association has frozen 28 staff positions that were open prior to the cuts. We have offered 10 of these positions to employees that were working in the programs that were cut.

In addition, RGA received a letter from the State of Illinois, reducing our “Extended Services” contract by 50% from $91,336 to $45,668 for fiscal year 2010. With this cut in funding, 57 adults with disabilities no longer receive job coaching and employment support. Without this assistance, many will not have the support they need to find employment and many will lose their jobs.