Another great editorial

[Guest guest]

I can't believe I missed this till a minute ago. It's been a busy day and I just

sat down to read more than the editorial page. Check this out. Charlotte

Bibo: Funds for disabled poorly spent

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By TERRY BIBO

Journal Star

Posted Jun 27, 2009 @ 10:30 PM

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Even in a budget crisis, with thousands of children and disabled people and

battered women about to lose their services, it's good to know some Illinois

traditions will be maintained.

In the minicapital bill, what used to be called Lincoln Developmental Center

gets a $30,000 new roof. And $582,000 to plan and construct four new, 10-bed

residences. Even though the old ones have never been used.

Unless you know somebody who is developmentally disabled, you probably never

heard of LDC. As a taxpayer, you might want to keep reading. This is how your

money is used.

At one time, Lincoln Developmental Center had 370 residents with different types

of disabilities. Over the years, there were complaints of neglect and abuse.

Staffers were fired and jailed. Some clients died. The very day it closed, on

Aug. 31, 2002, the state still wasn't sure where it was going to place LDC's

lone remaining resident.

Many people thought it was a hellhole, and they were glad it closed. Others,

particularly aging parents, were happy with the care their family members had

received. They were appalled at the lack of planning for a group which has a

particularly hard time with change. For almost seven years, LDC has been pitched

back and forth in Springfield's political football games. The old buildings were

torn down to appease those who prefer smaller facilities. Four new 10-bed homes

were built to appease those who want institutional care. Then it was pitched as

a home for Alzheimer's patients and veterans and children's residential care.

But none of these things happened. Fully furnished, heated all winter and cooled

all summer, what is now called Lincoln Estates has sat empty ever since.

Fast forward to this week.

Thirty thousand people may lose their services from the Illinois Department of

Human Services Division of Developmental Disabilities thanks to budget cuts.

That doesn't count the thousands who are on waiting lists.

Illinois is already 50th among the 50 states when it comes to reimbursing some

of these caregivers for services. Now the fees paid to care for each person will

be pretty much cut in half - and the state won't pay its bills for at least

three months.

The whole system is in meltdown. The organizations can't cut clients and they

can't keep going on half pay. Take PARC for example. About $10 million of its

$13 million budget comes from the state. They're already operating on a $1

million line of credit because the state is more than $3 million behind in

paying its bills. Executive Director Roy Ricketts says they can't keep this up

forever.

In an emergency message on Thursday, Tony auski, the executive director of

the advocacy and education group Arc of Illinois, says even this " Doomsday

Budget " is a fantasy.

" All of us know that none of these cuts can be implemented as early as July 1, "

he said. " There are federal and state laws and regulations, consent decrees and

other factors that will postpone the governor's anticipated cuts. Because of

these delays, the cuts will be even worse. "

Compare that to LDC.

It cost $5.4 million to reconstruct what is now Lincoln Estates. It cost $4.5

million to maintain it. That's the capital budget, not operating budget. So

there is $10 million for empty buildings, but not $10 million for needy people.

If there is a tax increase in the future, how will it be spent?

Calls to Gov. Pat Quinn's spokeswoman Marlena Jentz were not returned. On the

last one, the voice mailbox was too full to leave another message.

TERRY BIBO is a columnist for the Journal Star. She can be reached at

tbibo@..., 686-3189, or 1-800-225-5757, Ext. 3189.