MORTON, PA – Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Val Arkoosh today visited Child and Adult Disability and Educational Services (CADES), an agency serving Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and/or autism (ID/A) in Delaware County, to discuss the need for historic investments in Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2024-25 budget that will increase the number of Pennsylvanians who have access to ID/A services and support the professionals who care for Pennsylvanians with ID/A.
“DHS is committed to ensuring our neighbors, friends and loved ones with ID/A have the services and supports they need to thrive in the communities of their choice, but we know that too often we fall short in helping to achieve this goal,” said Secretary Arkoosh. “Governor Shapiro’s proposed budget affirms the dignity of all Pennsylvanians with ID/A by eliminating wait lists for services and investing in the value and importance of ID/A service providers and direct support professionals.”
Governor Shapiro’s budget proposal, which has bipartisan support, would provide more resources to home- and community-based service providers with $483 million in federal and state funds to allow them to raise their average starting wage from approximately $15 to $17 per hour. Higher wages will help attract and retain talented staff who provide these critical services. Governor Shapiro announced late last year that the Department of Homeland Security would review the fees sooner than necessary to better support home- and community-based service providers and the direct support professionals who dedicate their careers to helping Pennsylvanians with ID/A. Additionally, service providers also received a one-time supplemental payment in June to help recruit and retain staff.
Earlier this year, Governor Shapiro directed the Department of Homeland Security to immediately release additional program capacity to the county, which will allow an additional 1,650 Pennsylvanians to be served this year. The proposed 2024-25 budget seeks to further achieve this goal by investing $78 million in federal and state funds to serve an additional 1,500 Pennsylvanians next fiscal year.
If passed, Governor Shapiro’s budget would launch a multi-year growth strategy to increase the number of Pennsylvanians with ID/A receiving home- and community-based services, putting Pennsylvania at the top of the nation and eliminating adult emergency waiting lists. To support this growth, the budget would increase provider fees and support wage increases for the direct support professionals who care for Pennsylvanians with ID/A.
Secretary Arkoosh visited one of CADES’ licensed Community Living Arrangement (CLA) homes, a place where individuals with ID/A can live more independently through the provision of a range of services that promote community living, employment, communication, self-management, choice and control. CADES operates CLAs in Delaware, Chester and Bucks counties, where adults with ID/A have built lifelong bonds with the community.
CADES was founded in 1951 as the Delaware County Cerebral Palsy United Association, opening its doors to school-age students with no other formal educational opportunities. As these students grew into adults, the need for meaningful work and social engagements grew, and CADES created a day program option where adults could thrive. At the heart of CADES are 450 staff members with a mission to treat people as people. Their goal is to help more than 700 children and adults, their families, and each other learn, socialize, work, and navigate daily life each year.
“If passed, Governor Shapiro’s budget would be a game changer for agencies like CADES, providing critical resources to support a living wage for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who provide 24-hour care in community settings. DSPs’ work is diverse – they are nurses and therapists, teachers and cooks, caregivers and surrogate parents. They are also primarily women and working mothers, from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds, diverse yet constantly marginalized. Governor Shapiro’s budget will have a meaningful impact on the pay of these mission-critical employees, demonstrating that we as a community value them and their contributions,” said Julie Aleman, CEO of CADES. “Wages are not the only positive outcome that will result from the approval of Governor Shapiro’s budget. Providing quality support to the ID/A community – the kind of quality support we would want for our loved ones – is the result of significant investments in infrastructure, including training to improve the clinical skills of DSP staff and renovations to housing and vehicles to ensure quality care and safety for both the individuals they serve and the staff who support them. The impact on the ID/A community will be profound – hope will be born and lives will be changed.”
Read the Governor’s full budget proposal.
Media Contact: Brandon Cwalina – [email protected]
# # #