Gaps in Gov. Martin O?Malley?s budget could mean hundreds of Howard County residents with developmental disabilities will have to remain on a waiting list for services, a community organization said.
“There?s a lot of people waiting for services,” said Nancy Rhead, chair of the governmental affairs committee for the Arc of Howard County, which provides services and support to individuals with developmental disabilities.
Roughly 16,000 people with cognitive and developmental disabilities in the state are waiting for services, nearly 700 in Howard, said Stanley Daniello, a volunteer with Arc.
Daniello brought the issue before the Howard delegation recently, requesting $10 million in a supplemental budget. He said that would fund the waiting-list initiative just to the same level as in fiscal year 2007.
Sen. Edward Kasemeyer, D-District 12, a member of the budget and taxation committee, said at the public hearing his committee is writing a letter in support of the program, and the funding may be reinstated.
There should also be more funding for an initiative that helps transition individuals from state residential centers to community programs and the statewide self-advocacy network, which mentors and connects people with disabilities, Daniello said.
The state received a federal grant that would match funding for this program, known as the rebalancing grant, Rhead said. The program would provide funding for 50 people with disabilities to leave institutions.
“We are missing a wonderful opportunity,” Rhead said, adding that if the state doesn?t provide the funding, it misses the chance to take advantage of the program.
