A shift in state funding for Michigan's 15 Centers for Independent Living (CILs) could potentially jeopardize service options for thousands of Michigan residents living with disabilities.
In October, a $1.5 million increase in funding for CILs for the fiscal year 2020 state budget — along with an additional $2 million — was removed and redistributed in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services budget, according to a press release from Disability Network/Michigan, which represents the state's CILs. Disability Network/Michigan includes 14 distinct areas of coverage, with the Disability Network of Mid-Michigan (DNMM) covering Isabella, Midland, Saginaw and Bay counties.
If the budget were to remain as it is, it could reduce the reach of the DNMM from the roughly 20,000 people it was able to assist last year to about 18,000 or 19,000, said Matthew Ivan, DNMM communications and fund development manager.
"Based on those reductions, we would expect to be able to reach out and affect about 1,000 fewer people than last year," Ivan said. "With next year being the census year, one of the big things we were hoping to be able to do was to have significant outreach efforts to lower-served communities to make sure people get counted (in the census) — these cuts will significantly impact those efforts."
Due to the reduction, Ivan said DNMM could lose upwards of $165,000 in state funding, which would in turn lead to the organization laying off two full-time positions and one part-time position. Ivan said DNMM is still in the planning stages of how it will react to the budget cuts, which includes discussions regarding which departments could handle a staff reduction, with the youth services department being one of them.
The CIL program was federally established by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The CIL program is established and operated by people with disabilities, and the majority of both staff and governing boards of the 15 CILs are people with an array of disabilities, ranging from wheelchair users, people who are blind, staff who have mental illnesses and employees who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, the press release states.
Ivan said Disability Network/Michigan will continue its efforts to reach the State of Michigan, and is still seeking to encourage a change in the Legislature.
Comments