July 11, 2022
Minutes
Minutes
Attendees via Zoom: Carol Snyder, Katrina Ringrose, Margaret Cardoza, JC Edelberg, Michaela York, Tracey Webb, Abby Pearson, Alexandria Twombly, Atlee Reilly, Bonnie Robinson, Craig Patterson, Darla Chafin, Karen Johnson, Kristin McPherson, Mark Kemmerle, Hilary Gove, Elissa Wynne, Liz Hansen, Shane Ashe, Alli Vercoe, Bonnie-Jean Brooks, Todd Goodwin, J Richardson Collins, Rachel Dyer, Debra Dunlap, Amy Cohan, Elisha Cicio, Joseph Zamboni, Robin Levesque, Staci Converse, David Cowing, Ginger Girard, Amy Moller, Kristen Farnham, Debbie Dionne, Helen Hemminger, Beth Mylroie, Amanda Parker, Brenda Smith, Janet Dibiase, Natalie Thomas, Ryan G, Nancy Cronin, Emily Hanley, Vickey Rand, Cullen Ryan, and a few people who joined the meeting in progress and/or left prior to its conclusion.
Cullen Ryan introduced himself and welcomed the group. Minutes from the last meeting were accepted. For the sake of time, Cullen read the names of participants.
Featured Speakers: Atlee Reilly, Legal Director, and Katrina Ringrose, Deputy Director, Disability Rights Maine. drme.org Topic: Overview of the Recent DOJ Finding regarding Maine being in violation of the ADA/Olmstead for the over-institutionalization of children with disabilities.
Cullen: Today I’m pleased to welcome Atlee Reilly, Legal Director, and Katrina Ringrose, Deputy Director, of Disability Rights Maine presenting an Overview of the Recent Department of Justice (DOJ) Finding regarding Maine being in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Olmstead for the over-institutionalization of children with disabilities. I want to thank Katrina and Atlee for all their work and for presenting on this.
Atlee Reilly: Thank you for inviting us to come and provide some information around this. We’ve put together some discussion questions as well for the end of the presentation.
Katrina Ringrose: It’s great to be in the virtual space with so many familiar faces and new ones that I’m meeting for the first time.
Begin presentation (Click here for the presentation):
Atlee: One of the items in the resources at the end of the presentation is a report released a month or so ago, which includes reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation in for-profit run residential facilities in some states in the country.
Katrina: We collaborated with and visited Arkansas, where some Maine youth were being served out of state. We discovered a lot during that visit, but one of those discoveries was that just because someone is in this larger institutional setting it doesn’t mean they’re getting more or better-quality treatment/services. Some of what the kids were describing were less than what youth receive in Maine. I would encourage people to read that report.
Discussion Questions:
1. To what extent do the findings outlined in the DOJ letter align with your current experience in your current role?
-A parent stated that though her son is not currently on the waitlist she is still struggling to get services for her son.
2. What are your thoughts regarding the remedial measures highlighted by DOJ?
It was stated that the DOJ’s recommendations sound like good solutions for all populations, beyond just children and their families. These remedial measures ought to be applied across the board. There should be timelines and accountability to move this forward.
Discussion:
-It was asked what comes next from the State and their next steps in response to the Letter.
Atlee: This is the beginning, not the end. When the DOJ sends out letters, they want to work with states to remediate issues. Sometimes they take further action to enforce the ADA. This is the beginning of a longer process.
-It was asked which services this letter covers.
Katrina: It’s looking specifically intensive home-based services for children and youth – including Sections 65, 28, 92, etc. and services that are missing from that system and that may not yet exist in Maine’s framework.
Atlee: The DOJ doesn’t do anything with Medicaid/MaineCare. They’re looking at the ADA and relevant services to that.
-A parent asked if the new facilities being built in Maine are in areas where residential treatment already exists or in areas where they don’t exist. She also asked how many kids are currently being served out of state.
Katrina: There is a new section of MaineCare the State has created for Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTFs). To my knowledge there aren’t any identified providers of that new service currently. So, the State intends to create these, but they don’t exist yet. In terms of the number of people being served out of state, as of May 2022 the State was reporting 72 youth out of state, with 190 kids in residential settings in Maine.
-It was asked what youth advocates should do with this information and what comes next.
Atlee: I don’t really have any suggestion about how this could be used – it’s not a court case yet. It is validating however, because so many people have been hearing and seeing these stories for so long. Having a neutral party investigate and validate what we all have known is helpful. There’s a real, increasing need for these services. If we weren’t meeting the need before, without major changes and making this a priority we’ll have a tremendously challenging time meeting the needs in the future. This is a letter that in many ways validates what we’ve seen, and next steps are to be determined.
-It was stated that the State may reply that some of the things suggested as remediation strategies are already in the works.
Atlee: It’s great that they’re planning to make investments in the system. The question remains how long until those services are in effect? How long until families can access those? My sense is it’s sadly not likely to be where we think it needs to be to meet the need.
Katrina: We continue to hear from youth, families, and people doing this work on the ground that these issues are not only still relevant but they’re getting worse. It’s great to see an investment. Finding that next step forward will be imperative.
-A self-advocate state that she’s impressed the DOJ highlighted the wrap-around program. She asked if more information is available on this program.
Atlee: Some of the resources at the end of the presentation have a lot of valuable information about the wrap-around program. The State is working on wrap-around models and figuring out how to implement them with fidelity. How I think about wrap-around is you have someone managing the delivery of all different services so that we’re ensuring the youth and family’s needs are accounted for so that treatment can be provided in the home, in a less restrictive setting, and be effective. Though, to have a successful wrap-around program you need to have people to deliver the services which we know is also an issue.
Katrina: It’s thinking about the PCP process and looking at how to capture the full scope of needs, wants, and desires and how to access the services needed for those including paid and unpaid supports.
-A self-advocate stated that it seems we have a lot of mini-Pineland situations in Maine for children. She stated that this is especially damaging for children at the height of their growth. She asked if Maine has mobile crisis units currently for children and families.
Katrina: What we’ve heard for years, and partly led to this complaint, is that children and families can’t receive crisis services in their homes or communities and are instead brought to the hospital for evaluation/treatment. Another piece of that crisis system that we believe is missing is the expertise and knowledge of how to support young people with ID/DD. Our crisis system was built primarily for adults – our current system isn’t built to support the needs of children and families.
-A provider stated that their organization used to have a crisis program, that they had to close. The nation-wide staffing crisis and the way crisis programs are staffed with a lot of part-time staff was not tenable. They had to focus their staffing on their adult programs. The workforce crisis has compounded existing problems.
Atlee: I’m not going to pretend this isn’t an issue. Part of this is a structural issue, like you mentioned needing part-time staff. How do we re-create the existing structure so that staffing is tenable? Some structural changes need to be made to ensure these positions can be careers and not just jobs.
-A special educator stated that this is a very timely discussion given what’s been in the news the past few weeks. As an educator, she stated she hopes this wrap-around system includes the schools because youth spend most of 10 months of the year in a school environment and develop relationships with people there. She asked if the wrap-around model includes educational institutions. She also asked what happens during the summer when schools are closed, and all those relationships built are suddenly cut off which can lead to issues including crises.
Atlee: You touched on a lot of complicated issues, but the simple answer is any effective wrap-around process will encompass the schools. If it doesn’t than it’s not an effective model. The issue of the summer is one we’ve all faced for years. There’s a lot of work to be done. One of the solutions will be looking at ways to have more community schools and co-located services within schools.
Cullen: Your discussion and focus on this effort to optimize the system is centered around younger people. I’m aware of similar issue and concerns in the adult world as well – including waiting lists, staffing shortages passively leading to closures of group homes, crisis services shortcomings leading to hospitalizations etc. People are essentially being kept from accessing community support and community inclusion. Community inclusion is at the heart of all of this, which is obviously focused on youth but continues through to adulthood and beyond. I’m wondering if you can speak to how this might give us hope for changes to the adult system as well.
Atlee: When we talk about getting children’s behavioral health services, you’re often thinking of MaineCare services. There’s no distinction in the application of the ADA for adults versus children. As far as the legal analysis, there’s nothing unique about how it applies to children versus adults.
Staci Converse: We always want people to call us when they hear of anyone being over-institutionalized – whether they’re children or adults
Cullen: I’m wondering and hopeful that some of this will challenge our overall system, including the Legislature for appropriating funding and DHHS for actionable items that eventually bring resources to the right places to have truly inclusive settings for people in Maine with ID/DD. I’m wondering if this letter might help DHHS to be armed with the resources needed to make these corrections and apply them in both the children’s and adult world.
Atlee: I’m hopeful that it will be helpful, yes.
-It was sated that in the late 80’s/early 90’s the State worked to bring people served out of state back into the state. It can be done, and there’s quite a bit to it. You’re dealing with youth who have been away from their families and often alienated. It was stated that residential treatment should be a small census component of the community system. When the community system breaks down it puts more strain on the residential treatment side. Maine needs to reduce the number of children in residential treatment facilities. However, with a severe lack of intensive home and community support doing so will be a major challenge. The ways in which this can be remediated largely depends on having a robust workforce and service system.
Katrina: Children and families are counting on us to get us back to where we were and where we can bring kids back home. I still have that hope, there are still many successes that happen with young people when they’re able to get the services they need when they need it. We just need to ensure all kids have access to that statewide.
-It was asked if the Governor, Members of the Legislature, etc., have seen the DOJ letter.
Katrina: One can hope that the Governor and other people across the state have read this – I’m sure they’re aware of it. I know it’s incredibly difficult to find the time to continue to tell your story every day, but I encourage you to do so because that’s exactly what led us to this point and what will lead us even further.
-A parent and former special educator stated that it boils down to community relationships. He stated that in his experience when schools had good relationships with families, providers, etc., a lot of crises could be avoided. It takes resources to do this, but devoting resources at the front end saves dividends all around later.
-It was stated that at the state-level, there’s been an attempt to really collaborate between DOL (Department of Labor), DOE (Department of Education), and DHHS to create a more cohesive, supportive, wrap-around system for youth – more so in the transition process. It was stated that the remediation recommendations should be part of that collaborative work. The bigger the groundswell the higher likelihood the person will be successful.
-It was stated that it’s easier to make a case when children are institutionalized in very restrictive environments versus an adult who is in a group home that many not be of their choosing.
-It was asked how Maine will be held accountable for the findings in the letter.
Atlee: Now that the investigation is over there’s a timeframe in which the State and DOJ will try to negotiate a resolution. That’s the period we’re in now. If that doesn’t resolve the issues, the DOJ could bring an action against the State of Maine seeking to enforce the ADA. We remain interested in hearing from families and will continue gathering stories and monitoring things to ensure that youth and family voices are uplifted and hope that this will lead to some lasting positive change with built in accountability.
-It was stated that everything is breaking down and the breakdown all comes down to a financial investment. Kids aren’t getting the support they need because agencies can’t attain and retain staff – staff are leaving or can’t be hired because of pay. There needs to be a substantial financial investment, and a deep emotional investment.
Katrina: Yes, we all need to invest – financially, emotionally, and humanely. Thank you for having us today and thank you for all the work you all do on behalf of people and families with disabilities in Maine. We look forward to continuing to work with all of you.
Cullen: I want to thank you both for all your work on this and for being here today. I think this conversation highlighted the importance of community inclusion and the importance of being proactive. I do a lot of work in the homeless arena and one of the things we’re trying to do is end chronic and long-term homelessness. There’s a stark difference between those who are housed and those who are unhoused in what they cost the system. People who are the longest stayers in homelessness are up to 45 times more likely to be in jail and up to 19 times more likely to be in the hospital while unhoused versus housed. When people get the support they need, it costs the system significantly less in the long run. This also applies to Maine’s continuum of care for ID/DD services. A huge thanks to DRM for being proactive and helping Maine achieve greater community inclusion. I hope this is a great step for both children and adults. Thank you both again; well done!
End Presentation (round of applause would have occurred were it not for everyone being muted and on Zoom)
DHHS – Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) - www.maine.gov/dhhs/oads
Craig Patterson: I wanted to start by thanking Atlee and Katrina for that great presentation. That’s something that people working both within and outside of the system have been concerned about for years. Betsy couldn’t attend today as she’s at an all-day LD 924 Task Force meeting. I’m hopeful through this group’s work we’ll see some positive movement for youth in Maine. Regarding having a system in place to identify roles, responsibilities, and adequate pay – we’re working on another cross-agency task force to address those issues and you’ll hear more about that down the road. I wanted to share a few updates from OADS:
Chapter 1, Rights and Basic Protections for Persons with an Intellectual Disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder or Acquired Brain Injury
Cullen: Thank you, Craig, for being here and for all this information!
DHHS – Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) - www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs
Teresa Barrows could not attend today’s meeting but provided the following update via email: We’re continuing our work on the transition plan with OADS.
DOL – Division of Vocational Rehabilitation - www.maine.gov/rehab/dvr – No update
Special Education – No update
SMACT (Southern Maine Advisory Council on Transition):
The SMACT website and the Coalition website are cross-linked for convenience and information-sharing. As a reminder, if you want to be on the email list feel free to email Nancy ([email protected]). Next year SMACT meetings will be held quarterly, beginning on the first Friday of October. These meetings will be as information dense as possible since they won’t be held every month. The first presenter will be Diane Luce with the MMC Benefits Counseling Program discussing work incentives and addressing confusion regarding how work affects benefits.
Disability Rights Maine (DRM) Update: – No update
LD 924 Task Force Update: – No update
Federal & Housing Updates:
Cullen:
State Legislature Update
Cullen: I encourage you to connect with candidates running for office in your area, educate them about you and your family’s needs – this is a wonderful time to tell your story!
Other Business: None.
The next meeting will be on **Monday, September 12, 2022, 12-2pm, ** via Zoom*.
Featured Speakers and Topic TBD.
** Please note there will not be a meeting on Monday, August 8, 2022**
Unless changed, Coalition meetings are on the 2nd Monday of the month from 12-2pm.
(In 2022 the October meeting will be the 3rd Monday due to the holiday)
The Maine Coalition for Housing and Quality Services provides equal opportunity for meeting participation. If you wish to attend but require an interpreter or other accommodation, please forward your request two weeks prior to the monthly meeting to [email protected].
Cullen Ryan introduced himself and welcomed the group. Minutes from the last meeting were accepted. For the sake of time, Cullen read the names of participants.
Featured Speakers: Atlee Reilly, Legal Director, and Katrina Ringrose, Deputy Director, Disability Rights Maine. drme.org Topic: Overview of the Recent DOJ Finding regarding Maine being in violation of the ADA/Olmstead for the over-institutionalization of children with disabilities.
Cullen: Today I’m pleased to welcome Atlee Reilly, Legal Director, and Katrina Ringrose, Deputy Director, of Disability Rights Maine presenting an Overview of the Recent Department of Justice (DOJ) Finding regarding Maine being in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Olmstead for the over-institutionalization of children with disabilities. I want to thank Katrina and Atlee for all their work and for presenting on this.
Atlee Reilly: Thank you for inviting us to come and provide some information around this. We’ve put together some discussion questions as well for the end of the presentation.
Katrina Ringrose: It’s great to be in the virtual space with so many familiar faces and new ones that I’m meeting for the first time.
Begin presentation (Click here for the presentation):
Atlee: One of the items in the resources at the end of the presentation is a report released a month or so ago, which includes reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation in for-profit run residential facilities in some states in the country.
Katrina: We collaborated with and visited Arkansas, where some Maine youth were being served out of state. We discovered a lot during that visit, but one of those discoveries was that just because someone is in this larger institutional setting it doesn’t mean they’re getting more or better-quality treatment/services. Some of what the kids were describing were less than what youth receive in Maine. I would encourage people to read that report.
Discussion Questions:
1. To what extent do the findings outlined in the DOJ letter align with your current experience in your current role?
-A parent stated that though her son is not currently on the waitlist she is still struggling to get services for her son.
2. What are your thoughts regarding the remedial measures highlighted by DOJ?
It was stated that the DOJ’s recommendations sound like good solutions for all populations, beyond just children and their families. These remedial measures ought to be applied across the board. There should be timelines and accountability to move this forward.
Discussion:
-It was asked what comes next from the State and their next steps in response to the Letter.
Atlee: This is the beginning, not the end. When the DOJ sends out letters, they want to work with states to remediate issues. Sometimes they take further action to enforce the ADA. This is the beginning of a longer process.
-It was asked which services this letter covers.
Katrina: It’s looking specifically intensive home-based services for children and youth – including Sections 65, 28, 92, etc. and services that are missing from that system and that may not yet exist in Maine’s framework.
Atlee: The DOJ doesn’t do anything with Medicaid/MaineCare. They’re looking at the ADA and relevant services to that.
-A parent asked if the new facilities being built in Maine are in areas where residential treatment already exists or in areas where they don’t exist. She also asked how many kids are currently being served out of state.
Katrina: There is a new section of MaineCare the State has created for Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTFs). To my knowledge there aren’t any identified providers of that new service currently. So, the State intends to create these, but they don’t exist yet. In terms of the number of people being served out of state, as of May 2022 the State was reporting 72 youth out of state, with 190 kids in residential settings in Maine.
-It was asked what youth advocates should do with this information and what comes next.
Atlee: I don’t really have any suggestion about how this could be used – it’s not a court case yet. It is validating however, because so many people have been hearing and seeing these stories for so long. Having a neutral party investigate and validate what we all have known is helpful. There’s a real, increasing need for these services. If we weren’t meeting the need before, without major changes and making this a priority we’ll have a tremendously challenging time meeting the needs in the future. This is a letter that in many ways validates what we’ve seen, and next steps are to be determined.
-It was stated that the State may reply that some of the things suggested as remediation strategies are already in the works.
Atlee: It’s great that they’re planning to make investments in the system. The question remains how long until those services are in effect? How long until families can access those? My sense is it’s sadly not likely to be where we think it needs to be to meet the need.
Katrina: We continue to hear from youth, families, and people doing this work on the ground that these issues are not only still relevant but they’re getting worse. It’s great to see an investment. Finding that next step forward will be imperative.
-A self-advocate state that she’s impressed the DOJ highlighted the wrap-around program. She asked if more information is available on this program.
Atlee: Some of the resources at the end of the presentation have a lot of valuable information about the wrap-around program. The State is working on wrap-around models and figuring out how to implement them with fidelity. How I think about wrap-around is you have someone managing the delivery of all different services so that we’re ensuring the youth and family’s needs are accounted for so that treatment can be provided in the home, in a less restrictive setting, and be effective. Though, to have a successful wrap-around program you need to have people to deliver the services which we know is also an issue.
Katrina: It’s thinking about the PCP process and looking at how to capture the full scope of needs, wants, and desires and how to access the services needed for those including paid and unpaid supports.
-A self-advocate stated that it seems we have a lot of mini-Pineland situations in Maine for children. She stated that this is especially damaging for children at the height of their growth. She asked if Maine has mobile crisis units currently for children and families.
Katrina: What we’ve heard for years, and partly led to this complaint, is that children and families can’t receive crisis services in their homes or communities and are instead brought to the hospital for evaluation/treatment. Another piece of that crisis system that we believe is missing is the expertise and knowledge of how to support young people with ID/DD. Our crisis system was built primarily for adults – our current system isn’t built to support the needs of children and families.
-A provider stated that their organization used to have a crisis program, that they had to close. The nation-wide staffing crisis and the way crisis programs are staffed with a lot of part-time staff was not tenable. They had to focus their staffing on their adult programs. The workforce crisis has compounded existing problems.
Atlee: I’m not going to pretend this isn’t an issue. Part of this is a structural issue, like you mentioned needing part-time staff. How do we re-create the existing structure so that staffing is tenable? Some structural changes need to be made to ensure these positions can be careers and not just jobs.
-A special educator stated that this is a very timely discussion given what’s been in the news the past few weeks. As an educator, she stated she hopes this wrap-around system includes the schools because youth spend most of 10 months of the year in a school environment and develop relationships with people there. She asked if the wrap-around model includes educational institutions. She also asked what happens during the summer when schools are closed, and all those relationships built are suddenly cut off which can lead to issues including crises.
Atlee: You touched on a lot of complicated issues, but the simple answer is any effective wrap-around process will encompass the schools. If it doesn’t than it’s not an effective model. The issue of the summer is one we’ve all faced for years. There’s a lot of work to be done. One of the solutions will be looking at ways to have more community schools and co-located services within schools.
Cullen: Your discussion and focus on this effort to optimize the system is centered around younger people. I’m aware of similar issue and concerns in the adult world as well – including waiting lists, staffing shortages passively leading to closures of group homes, crisis services shortcomings leading to hospitalizations etc. People are essentially being kept from accessing community support and community inclusion. Community inclusion is at the heart of all of this, which is obviously focused on youth but continues through to adulthood and beyond. I’m wondering if you can speak to how this might give us hope for changes to the adult system as well.
Atlee: When we talk about getting children’s behavioral health services, you’re often thinking of MaineCare services. There’s no distinction in the application of the ADA for adults versus children. As far as the legal analysis, there’s nothing unique about how it applies to children versus adults.
Staci Converse: We always want people to call us when they hear of anyone being over-institutionalized – whether they’re children or adults
Cullen: I’m wondering and hopeful that some of this will challenge our overall system, including the Legislature for appropriating funding and DHHS for actionable items that eventually bring resources to the right places to have truly inclusive settings for people in Maine with ID/DD. I’m wondering if this letter might help DHHS to be armed with the resources needed to make these corrections and apply them in both the children’s and adult world.
Atlee: I’m hopeful that it will be helpful, yes.
-It was sated that in the late 80’s/early 90’s the State worked to bring people served out of state back into the state. It can be done, and there’s quite a bit to it. You’re dealing with youth who have been away from their families and often alienated. It was stated that residential treatment should be a small census component of the community system. When the community system breaks down it puts more strain on the residential treatment side. Maine needs to reduce the number of children in residential treatment facilities. However, with a severe lack of intensive home and community support doing so will be a major challenge. The ways in which this can be remediated largely depends on having a robust workforce and service system.
Katrina: Children and families are counting on us to get us back to where we were and where we can bring kids back home. I still have that hope, there are still many successes that happen with young people when they’re able to get the services they need when they need it. We just need to ensure all kids have access to that statewide.
-It was asked if the Governor, Members of the Legislature, etc., have seen the DOJ letter.
Katrina: One can hope that the Governor and other people across the state have read this – I’m sure they’re aware of it. I know it’s incredibly difficult to find the time to continue to tell your story every day, but I encourage you to do so because that’s exactly what led us to this point and what will lead us even further.
-A parent and former special educator stated that it boils down to community relationships. He stated that in his experience when schools had good relationships with families, providers, etc., a lot of crises could be avoided. It takes resources to do this, but devoting resources at the front end saves dividends all around later.
-It was stated that at the state-level, there’s been an attempt to really collaborate between DOL (Department of Labor), DOE (Department of Education), and DHHS to create a more cohesive, supportive, wrap-around system for youth – more so in the transition process. It was stated that the remediation recommendations should be part of that collaborative work. The bigger the groundswell the higher likelihood the person will be successful.
-It was stated that it’s easier to make a case when children are institutionalized in very restrictive environments versus an adult who is in a group home that many not be of their choosing.
-It was asked how Maine will be held accountable for the findings in the letter.
Atlee: Now that the investigation is over there’s a timeframe in which the State and DOJ will try to negotiate a resolution. That’s the period we’re in now. If that doesn’t resolve the issues, the DOJ could bring an action against the State of Maine seeking to enforce the ADA. We remain interested in hearing from families and will continue gathering stories and monitoring things to ensure that youth and family voices are uplifted and hope that this will lead to some lasting positive change with built in accountability.
-It was stated that everything is breaking down and the breakdown all comes down to a financial investment. Kids aren’t getting the support they need because agencies can’t attain and retain staff – staff are leaving or can’t be hired because of pay. There needs to be a substantial financial investment, and a deep emotional investment.
Katrina: Yes, we all need to invest – financially, emotionally, and humanely. Thank you for having us today and thank you for all the work you all do on behalf of people and families with disabilities in Maine. We look forward to continuing to work with all of you.
Cullen: I want to thank you both for all your work on this and for being here today. I think this conversation highlighted the importance of community inclusion and the importance of being proactive. I do a lot of work in the homeless arena and one of the things we’re trying to do is end chronic and long-term homelessness. There’s a stark difference between those who are housed and those who are unhoused in what they cost the system. People who are the longest stayers in homelessness are up to 45 times more likely to be in jail and up to 19 times more likely to be in the hospital while unhoused versus housed. When people get the support they need, it costs the system significantly less in the long run. This also applies to Maine’s continuum of care for ID/DD services. A huge thanks to DRM for being proactive and helping Maine achieve greater community inclusion. I hope this is a great step for both children and adults. Thank you both again; well done!
End Presentation (round of applause would have occurred were it not for everyone being muted and on Zoom)
DHHS – Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) - www.maine.gov/dhhs/oads
Craig Patterson: I wanted to start by thanking Atlee and Katrina for that great presentation. That’s something that people working both within and outside of the system have been concerned about for years. Betsy couldn’t attend today as she’s at an all-day LD 924 Task Force meeting. I’m hopeful through this group’s work we’ll see some positive movement for youth in Maine. Regarding having a system in place to identify roles, responsibilities, and adequate pay – we’re working on another cross-agency task force to address those issues and you’ll hear more about that down the road. I wanted to share a few updates from OADS:
- The Department was recently made aware of Sweetser’s decision to close two group homes. There are 45 individuals served in those settings. We’re working with Sweetser to develop a transition plan to ensure that people end up in housing that will meet their needs.
- UNH Start Systems Analysis: They are wrapping up their focus groups and have received all the data needed from us at this time. Thank you to all who either completed surveys or participated in the focus groups. We are still on track to receive a report from them in late summer.
- OADS has two public rulemaking hearings scheduled for this week. The first hearing is about amendments to our grievance policy. The second is about a new rule related to rights and basic protections for individuals with an intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder or acquired brain injury. Here are the links to the hearing information:
Chapter 1, Rights and Basic Protections for Persons with an Intellectual Disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder or Acquired Brain Injury
- Public Hearing: July 15 at 10 a.m.
- Gove, Hilary is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
- Join Zoom Meeting
https://mainestate.zoom.us/j/85797245963 - Meeting ID: 857 9724 5963
- Public Hearing: July 14 at 10 a.m.
- Gove, Hilary is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
- Join Zoom Meeting
https://mainestate.zoom.us/j/81518747554 - Meeting ID: 815 1874 7554
Cullen: Thank you, Craig, for being here and for all this information!
DHHS – Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) - www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs
Teresa Barrows could not attend today’s meeting but provided the following update via email: We’re continuing our work on the transition plan with OADS.
DOL – Division of Vocational Rehabilitation - www.maine.gov/rehab/dvr – No update
Special Education – No update
SMACT (Southern Maine Advisory Council on Transition):
The SMACT website and the Coalition website are cross-linked for convenience and information-sharing. As a reminder, if you want to be on the email list feel free to email Nancy ([email protected]). Next year SMACT meetings will be held quarterly, beginning on the first Friday of October. These meetings will be as information dense as possible since they won’t be held every month. The first presenter will be Diane Luce with the MMC Benefits Counseling Program discussing work incentives and addressing confusion regarding how work affects benefits.
Disability Rights Maine (DRM) Update: – No update
LD 924 Task Force Update: – No update
Federal & Housing Updates:
Cullen:
- The House FY 23 T-HUD Budget: On 6/22, the House released its FY 23 T-HUD bill which would provide $62.7 billion for HUD’s affordable housing, homelessness, and community development programs – an increase of $9 billion over FY22-enacted levels, and $1.1 billion above the president’s FY23 budget request. If enacted, the House proposal would provide substantial federal investments in affordable homes and increase the availability of housing assistance to families with the greatest needs. The bill proposes significant increases to nearly all HUD programs compared to FY22.
- Forthcoming Budget Reconciliation Bill: Congress continues to work on the forthcoming Budget Reconciliation Bill. Leadership continues to advocate for the inclusion of robust housing investments the budget reconciliation package.
- National Housing Trust Fund: There are various efforts in Congress to increase the National Housing Trust Fund, including the Homes for All Act which would invest $200 billion over 10 years into the National Housing Trust Fund. And, the Housing for All Act of 2022, which would invest $45 billion into the National Housing Trust Fund. In Maine, resources from the HTF are the primary funding mechanism for supportive housing development.
- SSI savings Penalty Elimination Act: This bipartisan bill, introduced in the Senate by Senator Sherrod Brown and co-sponsored by Senator Rob Portman, would raise the asset limit from $2,000 to $10,000 and tie the limit to inflation. If enacted, this would be the first change to the asset limit rule since 1989.
- Administration Announces Intent to Amend Regulations Implementing Section 504: U.S. Department of Education Announces Intent to Strengthen and Protect Rights for Students with Disabilities by Amending Regulations Implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The Department's Office for Civil Rights will solicit public comments to help decide how best to improve current regulations to assist America's students with disabilities. As part of the development of the proposed amendments to the Section 504 regulations, the Department is soliciting public input. Interested parties may go to www2.ed.gov/policy/rights/reg/ocr/ to submit comments. The Department will hold Listening Sessions in the coming months.
State Legislature Update
Cullen: I encourage you to connect with candidates running for office in your area, educate them about you and your family’s needs – this is a wonderful time to tell your story!
Other Business: None.
The next meeting will be on **Monday, September 12, 2022, 12-2pm, ** via Zoom*.
Featured Speakers and Topic TBD.
** Please note there will not be a meeting on Monday, August 8, 2022**
Unless changed, Coalition meetings are on the 2nd Monday of the month from 12-2pm.
(In 2022 the October meeting will be the 3rd Monday due to the holiday)
The Maine Coalition for Housing and Quality Services provides equal opportunity for meeting participation. If you wish to attend but require an interpreter or other accommodation, please forward your request two weeks prior to the monthly meeting to [email protected].