The Chicago Tribune reports today of parents with developmentally disabled children not being able to find housing for them as adults.
Consider the following:
Aging out of the state’s public special education system, Nick [22, who has been diagnosed with autism] now stays at home, where his mother worries he is becoming more and more isolated and losing what he has learned. She wants to get him into adult programs funded by the state that would continue his training and maybe even set him up in a group home.
Nick is among nearly 20,000 disabled adults in Illinois who are on a waiting list to get into adult programs.
The Department of Human Services replies that 600 have been placed this year.
When I was State Representative, the most heart-rending calls were from parents of such individuals in the 80’s wondering who would care for their children after they died.
Sometimes a call would result in a placement.
Sometimes.
Just curious… you willing to pay more in taxes to take care of people with disabilities?
How about a rearrangement of priorities?
the same kind of State that emptied then closed the Mental Health facilities
The state with the highest tax burden in the nation certainly does not have a revenue problem.
Just goes to show you this state’s true funding priorities: big pensions for government workers instead of helping the people who need it most.
Isn’t somebody taking care of Mary McClellan?
She seems to be a morally disabled basketcase.
This exemplifies the priorities of Democrats as they own this State and its policies top to bottom.
The Democrat has zero sense of noblesse oblige or social responsibilities.
They only possess the profoundly selfish attitude of grabbing for themselves at the expense of everyone(crabs in a bucket mentality).
Two year olds with proper upbringing understand more about the world around them than the majority of Democrats.
The insane, the profoundly handicapped and their caregivers aren’t enough of a constituency or lobby to make their voices count.
So, in Democrat minds, this constituency won’t stand in Democrats way of selfishly ruining the State economically for their own personal benefit so… Why fund them?
It is cold hard cash and the destructive selfish nature of the Democrat which destroys any hope of any disadvantaged/helpless(think children under DCFS, families on communist health care, the insane, the handicapped, unborn children…) constituency of ever seeing any social help outside of religious institutions.
Values matter.
FYI – I have some skin in this game.
I am responsible for a 30 yr old adult with developmental disabilities, and have fought this battle for a VERY long time.
Prioritization by the politicians are what deals the blows to the Developmentally Disabled (pensions are far more important than the disabled to these leeches – and I believe that Illinois ranks 47th or 48th out of all 50 states regarding programs that benefit those in need). So, Illinois is ranked amongst the top in Pension debt (this is not a contest one wants to be leading in)… and Illinois brings up the rear regarding helping those in most need (which is not only a tragedy, but should anger every citizen of this state.
And I dare ANY politician to come on this Blog to dispute those facts.
My step-son has been waiting on the PUNS list for over 11 years. His biological mother & father passed away over 4 years ago (I am the young man’s step father). Once I leave my earthly body & this blue orb – I fear for his care / safety for the rest of his life. And there are thousands of others who are facing such hard decisions (I am blessed, my step-son can at least talk & ambulate… but there are many who have more dire circumstances. And there is no safety net for them.
Over 50 years ago, these young children or adults used to be sent to “institutions” (my step-son’s Aunt suffered such a fate)…. which was a horrible existence. And now? I shudder to think……