Disabled Denied Proper State Funding, Advocates Say

Orange County advocates for the handicapped on Friday painted a bleak picture of the quality of services provided to mentally disabled residents and predicted a “crisis” in care if state spending is not increased.

“The effect of the (current levels of spending) is to direct problems back into the community,” said Richard B. Farmer, a representative of the Assn. of Retarded Citizens. “People without adequate programs will roam the streets and create havoc that will be reflected in increased police services and other areas of the community.”

The comments came at a state legislative hearing at Tustin City Hall that attracted nearly 100 residents and officials from throughout Southern California.

Three legislative subcommittees are looking into allegations that the state has neglected services to the developmentally disabled and were seeking comment from parents, service providers, consumers and local agencies on how the system can be changed.

Friday’s hearing was the last of 16 such community-based gatherings in the state.

Many of those who testified charged that the state is providing inadequate staffing at regional developmental centers and paying severely inadequate wages for employees at state hospitals and community-care homes.

“At some of our community-care facilities, the clients are making more than the staff who serve them,” said Debra Marsteller, a representative of Orange County service providers. Some of those who testified also denounced a proposal by the state Department of Developmental Services to have parents with incomes of $50,000 or more pay fees for some services.

Gary Macomber, director of the Department of Developmental Services, denied that there has been inadequate funding for the handicapped. In testimony at Friday’s hearing, he called the proposed state budget increase of $59 million next year for community services a “step forward” in addressing the needs of the handicapped.

According to state figures, more than 95,000 people in Orange County are developmentally disabled, including people with brain disorders, those who are unable to walk, are blind or are deaf. About 25% reside in community-care facilities while the balance live at home with their families.

Advocates for the handicapped say that many more patients could be housed in community-care homes if more money was provided by the state.

The problem is especially acute in Orange County where the high cost of housing has forced the closure of an estimated 300 community-care homes, said Rhys Burchell, executive director of a Tustin-based social watchdog agency.

The agency, the Area XI Developmental Disabilities Board, has charged that the state Department of Developmental Services is “out of compliance” with state laws protecting handicapped people for not providing proper housing.

The group has threatened to sue the state and will hold a public hearing April 4 at Tustin City Council chambers.