HOULTON, Maine — For several decades, clients who attended the day program at Community Living Association have received a wide array of services.
The agency, which serves people with developmental disabilities, employs staffers to help clients perform tasks ranging from cleaning and cooking to helping them volunteer in the community or prepare for a drivers education course.
Officials at Community Living Association fear that some of those services may be compromised now that funding for the program has been reduced because of budget cuts to the state Department of Health and Human Services.
The cuts have forced the association to lay off eight employees who work in the day program and revamp the way it delivers its customary day service programs. The day program currently is staffed by approximately 40 employees.
The layoffs and program changes take effect Oct. 1.
In order to help absorb the state’s deficit, Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services has had to curtail services. Cuts have closed programs and employees have been laid off. The Appropriations Committee continues its work this week to identify additional budget cuts during meetings in Augusta.
Community Living Association’s day program serves adults with a diagnosis of mental retardation or disabilities such as autism, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy and epilepsy. The program is offered out of the Roger Randall Center for Developmental Services on Green Street.
The association also offers other services and oversees seven assisted living homes, a group home and an intermediate care facility. Community Living Association is the second-largest employer in Houlton, according to its Web site.
Ann Stevens, the director of the day program, said Thursday afternoon that she is not sure how much was cut from the day program financially. The bottom line, however, is that the cuts mean that employees can now spend significantly less time with each client. That means that clients might not learn as many skills or receive as many services as they could under the old program. It also means that eight employees have to go, because the money to pay them is just not there anymore.
“This is terrible news for us, for our employees and for our clients,” she said. “Our staff members teach clients the skills they need for daily living. They provide education, language skills and help with community inclusion. We get our clients out into the community so they can interact with others and volunteer and hold down part-time jobs.”
“This limits our services,” Peter Marcotte, director of human resources, agreed. “This is the first time in 42 years that we have had to lay off staff. Our employees are now going to have to provide as many of the same services with less.”
Both Stevens and Marcotte agreed that association officials and the 10-member board of directors tried to address legislators and others at the state level to protest.
The protest was unsuccessful.
“Our employees are upset that they are losing their jobs,” Stevens said. “But they also know this is not our fault. We cannot do anything about it anymore. It is hard to see this happen to our staff and our clients.”
One of Stevens’ biggest fears is that association services will deteriorate, she said.
“Now, we cannot do as much during the day,” she said. “We just will not have time. I fear that our clients will come here, and they will not have as much time to spend. That means they cannot learn life skills, they can’t learn how to interact with the community, how to go to a store and learn to buy what they need with the money they have.”
Marcotte said that officials are brainstorming ways to preserve as many services under the day program as possible.
“It is going to be a challenge,” he said Thursday.
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