As Underpaid Workers Leave, Social Services, Needy Lose Out

Various diagnostic tests have yet to pinpoint why a 3-year-old girl doesn’t speak, but she conveyed volumes to me when she walked up and handed me one of two stuffed animals, the primary objects in her world.

I was touched with a feeling that those who serve people with developmental disabilities experience each day: the certainty that this labor meets one’s need for meaningful work and connectedness with others as thoroughly as it meets the service and support needs of people like the girl and her family. Equally certain, though, is that the number of people able and willing to undertake this important work is dwindling, and it is not rash to say that a crisis is nearing for those in Orange County who depend on them.

I see firsthand how the allure of overnight IPO riches has come to eclipse the stature and value of service vocations. However, it is not just “dot-com fever” that diverts caring people from service. Many who otherwise would have the capacity to serve people with developmental disabilities simply cannot afford to do so.

Most direct-care workers--those who work in group homes and at day programs and assist individuals with supported living, for example--here, and around the state, earn minimum wage or less.

They may recognize the intrinsic value of such work, but as one prospective worker once told me, “My children can’t eat ‘intrinsic’ sandwiches.” Another skilled professional who worked for years to build collaborations that broadened opportunities for people with disabilities was lost to service when her husband was laid off and she was forced to seek a better-paying job to support their family. My budget wouldn’t allow me to even approach the $40,000 salary increase she was offered.

Scenarios like this have increased exponentially in recent years, and they raise a sobering question: Are the most vulnerable in our society valued so little that we will not compensate adequately those who care for them?

This problem is not unique to our region, nor to this profession. Critical shortages also have been reported by other social service agencies. However, the problem is exacerbated by the sheer numbers of people who need disability-related services in Orange County and the high cost of living here.

For those of us working in this field, the focus of the last 30 years has been on narrowing the gap between people with developmental disabilities and those in the mainstream. Now we are facing the prospect of that progress being stalled as the tools of advocacy are evaporating.

Talented veterans retire or are siphoned off to better-paying positions. Vigorous young potential advocates forgo the service professions altogether, perhaps not even considering the option in an employment environment where technology-oriented careers own the spotlight.

Recently, I learned of a $1-million grant from the Annenberg Foundation to help address the challenge of retaining direct-care staff at a residential and day services facility in the Santa Barbara area. I applaud the foundation’s generosity, but I caution any who see such a gift as more than an isolated, stop-gap measure. Fundamental compensation reforms are required at the state level, where the vast majority of funding originates for locally provided disability services and supports.

Earlier this year, state officials showed a willingness to consider the issue; however, a 10% wage adjustment for direct-care workers is not enough to accomplish substantive change. Since most of these workers are paid close to the federal minimum wage, such an adjustment represents only about 58 cents per hour--clearly not enough.

While most of us believe that people with disabilities deserve a quality of life comparable to others, this principle is not reflected clearly in the state’s current budget.

Continued opportunities for people with developmental disabilities to live normal lives are contingent on the availability of people willing and able to serve. The quality of the services we provide to families is dependent on the quality of people who choose this line of work.

With unprecedented state and federal budget surpluses, now is the time to shore up the direct-care system. Given the availability of funding, there is now no excuse for ignoring the issue.

We must urge our legislators to revisit compensation levels for direct-care workers. At the same time, we might also give a nod of approval to those who nevertheless choose a career for the rewards of making a difference in somebody’s life.