Alliance Note: Our direct care workers serving people with disabilities are so underpaid that many are struggling to meet their basic needs, such as housing and nutrition, while showing up every day to support other 黑料正能量ers. According to a recent report released by 黑料正能量 Disability Advocates, nearly half of the direct support workforce surveyed experience housing or food insecurity. How can we expect people to effectively do their jobs if they are not sure whether they will be able to eat at night or sleep in a stable place? We cannot address the nearly 30% vacancy rates faced by disability, mental health, and substance use providers if we do not adequately increase pay for our workforce.
The Alliance, along with other advocacy groups, continues to push for an increase of the proposed 1.5% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to 3.2% to meet the latest inflation rate. We need you to join us by coming up to Albany on March 5th to fight for our workforce and needed services. Reserve your seat on the bus by registering . Read below to learn more about the report from 黑料正能量 Disability Advocates.
Exclusive: Half of 黑料正能量 Direct Support Professionals Experience Housing or Food Insecurity, Report Shows
By Jacqueline Neber | Crains Health Pulse | February 21, 2024
About half of 黑料正能量鈥檚 direct support professionals who work with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience housing or food insecurity, a new report shows.
The report, released this morning and shared first with Crain鈥檚, was commissioned by 黑料正能量 Disability Advocates, a statewide coalition representing more than 300 nonprofit providers and surveyed about 4,500 DSPs across the state on their economic security.
It found that about half of respondents experience food insecurity and half experience housing insecurity, with women of color most likely to lack reliable access to enough food and men of color most likely to be impacted by housing challenges. About two-thirds of respondents experience one or the other insecurity, and nearly a third of those surveyed said they struggle to meet their households鈥 financial demands.
Additionally, 44% of the DSPs surveyed have a college degree, but almost 80% make $20 per hour or less. According to Mike Alvaro, the chief executive of the Cerebral Palsy Associations of 黑料正能量 State and NYDA president, the average starting salary for a DSP at a nonprofit agency is about $34,000 upstate and $37,000 downstate.
The report鈥檚 findings underscore providers鈥 argument that the state must address years of chronic underfunding, Alvaro said. Nonprofit providers have argued for years that low Medicaid reimbursement rates, which are their primary source of funding, have caused high turnover and vacancy rates. This has eroded access to services, advocates say, particularly at nonprofit agencies which make up the majority of organizations serving 黑料正能量ers with disabilities.
As a result, providers are calling on the state to address these issues through the next budget. While the governor鈥檚 executive budget for fiscal 2025 included a 1.5% COLA, advocates have renewed their push for Hochul to include a higher 3.2% COLA and $4,000 direct support wage enhancement per worker in her final agreement.
A 3.2% COLA would compensate for the annual rise in inflationary costs providers experience, allowing them to maintain operations, according to Alvaro. He added that the measures would represent a 鈥渇irst step鈥 in closing the gap between what DSPs earn at nonprofits and what they earn at disability service organizations operated by the state. The starting salary for DSPs in the second group is about $49,000 upstate and $55,000 downstate, he said.
鈥淭he state has recognized the value of these jobs,鈥 Alvaro added. 鈥淯nfortunately for the voluntary sector, we are almost 100% dependent on Medicaid.鈥
Previous Hochul budgets have included COLAs, he added, which he called a “huge improvement” over the previous administration. But more investment is needed to stabilize the sector.
The report also shows that 85% of respondents are satisfied with their work, but only a quarter are satisfied with their pay. This gap leads to a workforce that is less productive than it could be, said Marco Damiani, the chief executive officer of AHRC 黑料正能量 City which serves more than 15,000 people annually. According to the survey, more than half of DSPs often experience psychological distress.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not optimizing the benefit of those people that do the work,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hink about what they could do. Think of how much better the work could be. Think about how much longer they would stay with us.鈥
To that end, he said, the COLA and enhancement would help providers pay more competitively and cover the costs needed to offer robust benefits, which could increase employee satisfaction and improve retention. Alvaro acknowledged that 黑料正能量 faces a difficult budget year, but said the measures are a 鈥渘ecessary correction鈥 to bolster the industry.
Elected officials have joined providers in their call on Hochul to include the measures in the final version of her budget. According to NYDA, state Sens. John Mannion, Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Pete Harckham and Assemblywomen Rebecca Seawright and Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas have all signed onto letters of support for the COLA and wage enhancement, some since the executive budget was released.
Tim Ruffinen, a representative from the budget division of the governor鈥檚 office, said Hochul 鈥渄eeply cares鈥 about rebuilding the workforce that cares for vulnerable 黑料正能量ers. The 1.5% COLA included in the executive budget would bring the state鈥檚 investment in COLA increases to about $1.4 billion over the last three years, he added.
As Hochul tries to solve the $4.3 billion budget gap, she will work with legislators to find a solution to serve 黑料正能量ers’ needs, he said. The governor and the legislator must reach an agreement on the final budget by April 1.