AUSTIN, TX – In case you missed it, this weekend Brazoria County Sheriff Bo Stallman wrote a guest column in The Facts calling on the Texas Legislature to make critical, targeted investments in community-based services for Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) this session, including by raising wages for direct support professionals (DSPs) to $17.50 an hour.

In the column, Sheriff Stallman shared his family’s personal story of navigating community IDD care options in Texas when seeking care for their 17-year-old son:

“My 17-year-old son has been diagnosed with IDD and requires constant, around-the-clock care. When my wife and I began our journey of navigating Texas’ system of home and community-based IDD services, the experience was nothing short of eye-opening. Despite the incredible complexities of finding the right services for our son’s unique needs, we were fortunately able to secure a position in a group home for him.

“However, we recognize that for thousands of Texans with IDD and their families, these options still remain out of reach because of the crisis facing the community IDD service system, driven by a statewide shortage of direct support professionals — with most homes operating with an average of one-third of staff positions vacant.

“In our son’s group home, a single direct support professional is responsible for three individuals, each with high levels of need and behavioral unpredictability. I can’t imagine the stress these professionals are under, and the fact they undertake all of this complex and difficult work with someone else’s life in their hands for just $10.60 an hour — a reimbursement rate set by the Texas Legislature — is simply appalling.”

Sheriff Stallman encourages the state legislature to approve a higher wage rate of $17.50 per hour for community-based DSPs who work in IDD group homes, which is included in the Texas House’s biennial budget:

“Thankfully, our state’s budget writers are considering a proposal to secure a more competitive $17.50 an hour rate for IDD group home care workers this session. This is a reasonable step that we know will make a difference, as the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s own data showed that increasing wages for similar workers in state supported living centers to $17.71 an hour last session enhanced retention and recruitment of DSPs, bringing much-needed stability to the system in institutionalized settings.”

Beyond being a moral obligation, Sheriff Stallman explains that properly funding community IDD services is also the most cost-effective and fiscally responsible path forward to address the ongoing IDD group home workforce crisis in the State of Texas:

“Group home care for high-need individuals costs approximately $55,000 annually. However, if there is no group home available, then families must turn to less cost-effective options for intensive needs — including in-home support which could cost upwards of $150,000 annually or state-supported living centers which can cost up to $300,000 annually.

“To put that in perspective: Imagine paying for your child to get a four-year college education every single year.

“I have always been a supporter of common-sense spending that is fiscally responsible and honors the hard-working taxpayers of our state…Making this investment specifically in Texas’ IDD service system to prevent further group home closures will help ensure families like ours are not forced to pursue alternative and more costly options.”

Sheriff Stallman makes clear that state budget writers have an opportunity to save community IDD services before the system collapses and leaves the most vulnerable Texans behind:

“When community IDD care providers are unable to recruit and retain staff, the system of support begins to fail. Good providers leave the system from the strain, leaving the rest just to get by. This is not the environment we want for our family and others like ours…

“This important, targeted investment will prevent further financial strain on taxpayers while providing safety and stability for Texans with IDD.

“Any proposal that does not increase rates for IDD services is akin to doing nothing at all.

“I hope [legislators] will do right by families like ours and champion the needs of our most vulnerable Texans by making the critical investments necessary to save community IDD services in the Lone Star State.”

To read Sheriff Stallman’s full column in The Facts, click here.

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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