To: Governor Ned Lamont
Governor Malloy: The Clergy of CT say: Just Treatment of People With Disabilities Must Be Part of...
Dear Governor Malloy,
We, the undersigned clergy of the state of Connecticut, feel that it is our moral and ethical obligation to speak out against the current and proposed budget cuts in human and social services that will have devastating effects on our most vulnerable citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) has already endured cuts in state funding for more than thirty years with over $43 million in cuts just since 2012.
In February, Governor Malloy, you released your proposed budget, which proposed further cuts that will deeply affect services for children and new graduates. At a time when there are already over 2,000 individuals with I/DD waiting for residential services, these cuts threaten to create a new waiting list for day services. The consequences are overwhelming to families already strained with the day to day care of a loved one with disabilities.
We will never be idle bystanders when any injustice impacts our community. We will never be fearful and silent witnesses as families wait for caregivers to die before their loved ones get the services they need.
Our scriptural and sacred texts, particularly of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, demand that we care for those who cannot care for themselves. Is not that also the goal of a sound government, to ensure just treatment of all of its citizens but especially the most vulnerable ones in our midst? Appropriate and just care of those with disabilities is a critical and yet an often hidden, unappreciated social justice and civil rights issue of our times. It deserves our full attention and government support.
We strongly stand in support of individuals with I/DD and their families. We urge you to deal with this immediate budget crisis and to work to develop a long term plan to prevent further crises in the future.
Do any of us want to be a part of a society or a state that says, “No, we cannot - we will not - care for our sons and daughters, our sisters and brothers, who cannot care for themselves?”
We do not. We urge you to act now. We can’t wait.
We, the undersigned clergy of the state of Connecticut, feel that it is our moral and ethical obligation to speak out against the current and proposed budget cuts in human and social services that will have devastating effects on our most vulnerable citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) has already endured cuts in state funding for more than thirty years with over $43 million in cuts just since 2012.
In February, Governor Malloy, you released your proposed budget, which proposed further cuts that will deeply affect services for children and new graduates. At a time when there are already over 2,000 individuals with I/DD waiting for residential services, these cuts threaten to create a new waiting list for day services. The consequences are overwhelming to families already strained with the day to day care of a loved one with disabilities.
We will never be idle bystanders when any injustice impacts our community. We will never be fearful and silent witnesses as families wait for caregivers to die before their loved ones get the services they need.
Our scriptural and sacred texts, particularly of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, demand that we care for those who cannot care for themselves. Is not that also the goal of a sound government, to ensure just treatment of all of its citizens but especially the most vulnerable ones in our midst? Appropriate and just care of those with disabilities is a critical and yet an often hidden, unappreciated social justice and civil rights issue of our times. It deserves our full attention and government support.
We strongly stand in support of individuals with I/DD and their families. We urge you to deal with this immediate budget crisis and to work to develop a long term plan to prevent further crises in the future.
Do any of us want to be a part of a society or a state that says, “No, we cannot - we will not - care for our sons and daughters, our sisters and brothers, who cannot care for themselves?”
We do not. We urge you to act now. We can’t wait.
Why is this important?
Dear Colleagues in Faith,
I am the Reverend Kathleen Peters, pastor of the United Church of Chester, United Church of Christ, and the mother of a 31 year old intellectually disabled young adult who lives at home with my husband and me.
We and other families of disabled children with the Arc Connecticut have been fighting for just and fair treatment for our loved ones. Over the past thirty years there have been enormous cuts to the Department of Developmental Services, this year being the most profound and far reaching.
For the first time, day program funding for 2016-2017 grads has been totally eliminated, vital Voluntary Services programs for Children and Adolescents has been cut 60% and residential/home supports have also been drastically cut. There will be no hope of any residential services until the death of both parents or other profound crisis.
Please also urge members of your faith communities to speak out to your legislature about all cuts in services to our most vulnerable citizens.
Not only is this a stressful personal situation for our family but it also one of great injustice. The care of our intellectually and developmentally disabled (I/DD) daughters and sons is what some of us have been calling a hidden and under-appreciated moral, social justice, and civil rights issue of our time.
My husband and I and thousands of parents just like us cannot care for our children on our own. We need systems in place to ensure their care, especially after we are gone.
Please feel free to contact me, Reverend Kathy Peters, at [email protected] /860-919-9030 or Shannon Jacovino Director of Advocacy & Public Policy The Arc Connecticut at [email protected] /860-246-6400.
Sincerely,
Reverend Kathy Peters
I am the Reverend Kathleen Peters, pastor of the United Church of Chester, United Church of Christ, and the mother of a 31 year old intellectually disabled young adult who lives at home with my husband and me.
We and other families of disabled children with the Arc Connecticut have been fighting for just and fair treatment for our loved ones. Over the past thirty years there have been enormous cuts to the Department of Developmental Services, this year being the most profound and far reaching.
For the first time, day program funding for 2016-2017 grads has been totally eliminated, vital Voluntary Services programs for Children and Adolescents has been cut 60% and residential/home supports have also been drastically cut. There will be no hope of any residential services until the death of both parents or other profound crisis.
Please also urge members of your faith communities to speak out to your legislature about all cuts in services to our most vulnerable citizens.
Not only is this a stressful personal situation for our family but it also one of great injustice. The care of our intellectually and developmentally disabled (I/DD) daughters and sons is what some of us have been calling a hidden and under-appreciated moral, social justice, and civil rights issue of our time.
My husband and I and thousands of parents just like us cannot care for our children on our own. We need systems in place to ensure their care, especially after we are gone.
Please feel free to contact me, Reverend Kathy Peters, at [email protected] /860-919-9030 or Shannon Jacovino Director of Advocacy & Public Policy The Arc Connecticut at [email protected] /860-246-6400.
Sincerely,
Reverend Kathy Peters