Governor Christie delivered his annual Budget Address earlier this week and while we are grateful for increased state and federal dollars for community-based supports and services in the proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Budget, we are disappointed that the spending plan did not include additional funding to increase wages for our Direct Support Professionals. As you know, The Arc of New Jersey, as part of the Coalition for a DSP Living Wage, is advocating for a $1.25 an hour wage increase and despite the disheartening outcome on Tuesday, the fight is far from over. Now we will focus our attention on the legislature and specifically, members of the Senate and Assembly Budget Committees. You will hear from us in the coming weeks and months with additional news and action alerts. Please keep up the hard work - it's your voice that makes the difference.

While the Governor did not include funding for DSP wages, we are happy to report that the FY18 community spending is proposed to increase by $89.7 million - a mix of state and federal dollars - and is broken down as follows:
  • $10 million to fund community-based services for individuals currently on the Community Care Waiver Waiting List
  • $8.6 million to fund community-based residential placements for 54 individuals currently living in one of the Division's five developmental centers, consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court's Olmstead decision
  • $1 million to fund 125 new housing vouchers
  • $46.2 million to fund service expansion for new and existing Supports Program participants
  • $23.9 million to fund general Division growth (e.g., young adults turning 21 and aging out of special education services, emergencies, self-direction, annualized cost from prior year placements, etc.)
  • We are currently working to gather more details about the fiscal plan, including how the proposed funding levels will impact children with I/DD served through the Department of Children and Families. Once we have more information we will be sure to share it with you.
     
Thank you again for your support as we continue our advocacy efforts.