FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 31, 2024

Contact: [email protected]

Urging Texas Legislature to Support Community-based IDD Services

AUSTIN, TX – Time To Care: Save Texas Caregivers Now is proud to announce that Houston-based Vita Living has joined the coalition, further strengthening the statewide movement urging the Texas Legislature to support community-based services for Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Direct support professionals (DSPs) who serve Texans with IDD have been chronically underfunded, with an hourly reimbursement rate set by the Texas Legislature of just $10.60. At a time when inflation is soaring and the cost of living continues to rise, the compassionate men and women who care for vulnerable Texans are struggling to make ends meet. As a result, community-based service providers are facing unsustainable staff vacancy rates and closures, undermining their ability to provide quality care for the most vulnerable Texans. Since March 2024, the coalition has urged state leaders to appropriate new funds to raise the hourly wage rates for community-based DSPs.

“For decades, Direct Service Professionals (DSPs) have been underpaid to provide essential care to these vulnerable individuals because the State has not increased the reimbursement rate sufficiently. As a result, service providers to the IDD community, like Vita Living, remain in crisis,” Vita Living CEO Joseph Cooper said. “Vita Living’s single voice is not enough to educate legislators across the community. Our DSP workers were very essential during the pandemic. DSP workers provided critical services during Texas’ recent grid failure and freeze. DSP workers withstood hurricanes and a derecho. DSP workers, however, continue to be paid poorly.

“It’s time to be equitable, fair, and just. Those of us who employ these workers value their commitment to the myriad duties required to provide care to the IDD community. It’s time for our legislators to value them as well.”

Coalition spokesperson Sandy Batton expressed profound gratitude for Vita Living’s partnership, stating: “We are honored to welcome Vita Living to the Time To Care family. Their incredible history serving individuals with IDD since the very beginning of community-based IDD services in Texas brings an invaluable wealth of experience to our growing coalition. We are thankful for Vita Living’s ongoing commitment to enhancing the lives of Texans with IDD and those who care for them.”

Vita Living is a nonprofit human services agency that provides life changing support to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Texas, allowing them to live meaningful, integrated lives in the community. Founded in 1982, Vita Living became the first organization to have a licensed group home in the State of Texas in 1985. Vita Living has been at the forefront of supporting Texans with IDD and works to keep those they serve in the communities they know and love, regardless of evolving healthcare needs. To learn more, visit https://www.vitaliving.org/

Time To Care: Save Texas Caregivers Now is a coalition dedicated to securing competitive wages for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who provide essential care to Texans with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). Through collaboration and grassroots efforts, the coalition strives to enact meaningful change at both the legislative and community levels. Learn more about how to get involved at https://timetocaretx.org/

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