By State Senator
Dan Debicella
We in Connecticut have an obligation to take care of
those in need—whether families who have fallen
on hard times, children with special needs, or addicts
in need of rehabilitation. In our current budget crisis,
the answer is not reducing these services—but
we have an opportunity to change how we provide them
to benefit both those in need and our taxpayers. Non-profit
community provider organizations already provide superior
service to those in need in a cost-efficient manner.
I believe shifting all of our social services to these
community providers will benefit both those in need
and our taxpayers.
I have heard directly from clients of our community
providers what a fantastic job they do. For example,
The Kennedy Center is a community social service provider
in Trumbull that provides residential and employment
services to the physically and mentally challenged.
Alison Smith of Shelton, one of the Kennedy Center’s
clients, recently spoke about her experience working
two days a week doing clerical work at Shelton City
Hall and weekday mornings cleaning an assisted living
facility in Trumbull. Alison spoke about how the Kennedy
Center has helped her and others in our community.
Alison said it best in her own words: “My job
coach from the Kennedy Center picks me up at my house
each morning and takes me to work. She gets me set up
for the day and occasionally checks to see how I am
doing. At the end of the day she either takes me home
or to Shelton City Hall for my next job. She is more
than my job coach. She is my friend.
On Thursday nights I go to the Kennedy Center Drop
In. Here I meet many friends and we get together once
a week for social activities like movies, pizza, karaoke
and other fun activities . . . The Kennedy Center plays
an important role in the lives of many people just like
me. It deserves your support. It enriches the lives
of our community by making other people know that people
with intellectual disabilities can do anything.”
Alison Smith is inspiring, as are the Kennedy Center
staff and volunteers who help make it possible for her
to reach their potential
We are fortunate to have a phenomenal network of community
providers in our area. In addition to the Kennedy Center
we have TEAM Inc. in Derby and ABCD in Bridgeport, which
provide fuel assistance and educational services to
people in need; and the Birmingham Group in Ansonia,
which provides health care services to the working poor.
I have introduced a bill in the legislature to shift
all our social services from state employees to these
non-profit community providers. Connecticut is one of
only four states that utilizes both state workers and
community providers for social services; most rely on
non-profit community providers entirely. However, the
community providers can do the same job the state does
for 40% less per client—a savings of almost $250
million a year while still providing the phenomenal
service that people like Alison Smith receive.
Whether in the areas of aid to the poor, mental health,
mental and physical disabilities, or addiction, Connecticut’s
non-profit community providers do just as good a job
as state employees for a whole lot less cost to the
taxpayers. This is what reinventing government is all
about—not changing what government does, but changing
how government works.
Alison Smith’s inspiring story as a client of
the Kennedy Center proves it is possible to provide
for our neediest citizens in a taxpayer-friendly way.
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