Community Change Champions. Our rights are civil rights

June 2020 - YOUR SUPPORTS COULD BE CUT

Information to inform and support people with disabilities interested in advocacy and activism

The state's crisis could become your crisis. We summarize here.

Washington has a BIG budget gap. This means the state does not have the money to pay for the support people need.

No Money = Cuts to Supports. The state relies on money from taxes to pay for schools, healthcare, housing and food aid, disability supports, and more

Big Problem: When everyone had to stop working and stay home, it meant they did not buy things, and the state didn’t collect as much in taxes. This problem affects all kinds of support. But right now, we are most worried about cuts to disability supports

Is There Help? There is some federal money, but there are lots of rules about what it can be used for. There is state money set aside for emergencies, but there is not enough to fix the problem

This May Last a Long Time. The state doesn’t know when things will get better They expect this will be a big problem for at least 6 months. It may be a problem for up to 2 years

Cuts Could Hurt a lot of People. Without more money, the state needs to cut 15%. So, the governor asked each of the state departments how they would cut The options worry us. All of them mean less support

It’s Not a Service. It’s My Life. One proposed cut that alarms us is changing the eligibility requirements for long-term services. That means people could lose the support they need to live in the community

For People with Disabilities, This Could Mean: Losing your job, and connections to friends. Losing mobility, and being hospitalized. Losing your home, because you can’t live independently. More people may experience health crisis. More families may face economic crises. Community supports are a lifeline

No Decisions, Yet. State leaders have not decided, yet, to pull people off long-term supports. But we are worried they will make it more difficult for people to get the support they need to live and be a part of their community

We Need Your Help. We want to make sure people who cut supports understand they will hurt people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, and the workers who support them. You can help: Share your story. Be loud. From, The Arc of King County

SIGN THE PETITION

ALERT YOUR STATE LEGISLATOR

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