Hmm, guess what, guess what? We’re not working this morning! *Giggle* We were up, but faced with the luxury of going back to bed ... we gave in to all temptations!
It’s actually only a misnomer ... we’re being picked up in a couple of hours to attend the annual dinner dance fundraiser for our Center. We’re a little intimidated by the crowd and needing to use good table manners, but we make do.
The past 2-3 days have been pretty busy as working days go. We finished up the CARF books of Human Resources, Legal, Leadership, and now tidying up the Financial. We write a lot of nifty neato little sticky notes until all the little details have been completed.
Last task has been to analyze budgets. Our Center had functioned as a school for the disabled for about 45 years, but we’ve been training adults with developmental disabilities since 1997. So, we went back through seven years of budgets and committed their numbers to a spreadsheet. I've got as far as to complete the revenue sections. :)
It’s like an interesting mystery of how money comes and goes. A lot of trend setting. The first year, we were still being funded by the Chicago Board of Education and as of the last four years, we’ve been paid a block grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services. This week we found that IDHS is going to switch funding to fee-for-service by July 1rst.
That means that each individual will get so much money from the state and it will follow them to whomever is servicing them. It messes with the agencies a bit, because although the staff and other expenses have to be paid in total, the state will only pay for the days the individual is in training, although absenteeism runs 14%. That's a 14% cut in a tight budget.
Again, it reflects a trend. The State appears to want minimal responsibility. The Direct Support People (DSPs) earn a take home pay of about $16-18,000 a year. QMRPs (degree required) earn a little more, but in general, financing the work seems to be a low priority.
Some people seem to think, "Hey, aren't they in it to be helping people?" We'd ask, "Could this be an avoidance of financial reality?"
Picture - http://www.visionlightgallery.com/gallery/product1.cfm?SID=1&Product_ID=8104
4 comments:
Pa did this also, a while ago.....Shame!!
Vince
Oh Lord, you're not kidding about budget cuts. I worked in the same industry, in TX, and my job was eliminated a little over six months ago. All because they were hoping for an increase in state reimbursement, and actually got a decrease. People are interested in helping others, but you won't get quality staff if they can make more money being a manager at Taco Bueno. (Which they can around here).
Sounds like you're keeping busy these days. :-)
THE FOG ALONG THE SHORE
Silently, Silently over and around,
swirling and flowing close to the ground.
Cool and damp, heavy and slow,
thick and dense with no where to go.
Sunshine will rise, moonlight will fall,
this mist will eventually heed the horns call.
Copyright © 2002
William F. Hoover. All rights Reserved
Ayn, enjoy the dinner dance! You certainly have been working hard and deserve to have a good time.
I think the belt tightening is a sign of the times, definitely not a good thing but perhaps necessary in this day of tight budgets and deficits. Sad really, the purpose of social services seem to be lost in the shuffle.
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