For Immediate Release
Contact: Leanne Ricchiuti, Overit for Association for Community Living, 518.222.8073
February 1, 2023
STATEMENT
Association For Community Living Executive Director’s Statement in Response to Governor Hochul’s Executive Budget
(Albany, N.Y.) – The Association for Community Living (ACL) Executive Director, Sebrina Barrett, delivers the following statement in response to Governor Kathy Hochul’s Executive Budget for FY 2023-2024, released today.
“Mental Health Housing has never seen such demonstrated support as there is under Governor Hochul’s leadership. In her budget, she has followed through on her promise to add $39 million in rate increases to existing mental health housing, which will help close the current $96 million funding shortfall–a shortfall that resulted from decades of underfunding and failure to keep up with inflation.
In addition, her proposal includes a 2.5% cost of living adjustment for behavioral health, which is appreciated in a climate where, for many years, there was no COLA; however, where inflation has risen above 8.5%, there remains a grave concern that providers will be unable to pay a living wage and afford the rising operating costs they are seeing for fuel, food, insurance, and other items that are crucial to keeping their doors open. While we are thrilled with her plan to develop 3,500 units of new housing over the next 5 years, we are struggling to retain staff and maintain operations in current housing, therefore, we urge further investment to ensure we can keep our existing doors open, and providers’ ability to meet the growth that is planned for the future.
We can create as many beds as we deem necessary to meet the need, but if we cannot recruit and retain staff to support them, the hope that we have for these investments will never become reality.
While today’s announcement provides a compelling vision for the future, we must remember the nearly 40,000 people currently working towards recovery who need more help now. Despite the investments announced today, many issues are still creating enhanced challenges for our member providers; these include aging residents with multiple significant medical issues, staffing shortages, inflation, and competitive pay. We need to meet the needs of those living in these homes now.
Particularly pressing is the fact that more than 40% of our residents, who are age 55 and older, are experiencing more than 166 medical challenges, which our current program and staffing model is not equipped to handle. There is nowhere else for these residents to get the care they need, as nursing homes are not able to meet both the mental health and medical challenges they are facing, and home health care providers are suffering the same workforce challenges plaguing other service sectors. We must find answers soon; these aging residents deserve the chance to age with dignity, comfortably, and gracefully in their homes, and we look forward to working with Governor Hochul and others to develop solutions during this legislative session. We are hopeful that the new housing investment will take into account enhancements, and perhaps a new model, needed to serve our aging residents.
We look to the legislature to realize her proposal and authorize the Executive Budget to further support community-based mental health housing.”
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