Here in the State of Washington we are having a budget crisis. And the Governor's office has informed us that things are going to get harder yet for the people we serve. In fact, some of the people I work with personally through Bridge programs have been informed they may be losing crucial sources of funding for housing. That's right. Some of the developmentally disabled adults we serve may end up out on the street begging for food and looking for a cardboard box to sleep in.
One man in particular who attends many of our events comes to mind. I'll call him Jim. He is in his early 40's. He is cognitively impaired. If you didn't know him, you could not tell that he is developmentally disabled immediately. However, since I have seen his records and worked with him, I am very much aware of his limitations.
Put simply, Jim does not know how to take care of himself. He would never be able to find and hold a job, find and apply for an apartment, shop and prepare meals, clean and do laundry, pay rent and bills on time, etc. He simply does not have the skills or abilities needed to carry out these complex tasks. He requires a good deal of help to negotiate the simple tasks that are required of him now. When he gets very frustrated he is inclined to explosive bouts of temper which other people find quite intimidating and do not know how to handle unless they've had special training.
Jim does not have family who can help him. Those of us who know him know with certainty that he would end up homeless in short order if he loses the benefits that pay for his housing and caregivers. And we are horrified that this course of action is even being considered by the State government. After asking questions I discovered that the reason this could happen to Jim is because the State rates him to be high functioning compared to other developmentally disabled adults that receive services. They are looking to make cuts, and they're thinking of starting by cutting services to the higher functioning folks. I can tell you right now, this is an idea that is doomed to failure.
Whether a person is higher functioning or not is immaterial. What matters is what they can and can't do. Jim can walk, he can talk, he can put his own clothes on, with proper preparation he can even ride a metro bus - sure! But does that mean he can negotiate the complexities of our modern world and take care of his own basic needs? I can promise you he cannot.
No, we don't want a candy tax, or an income tax, or higher fees. Of course, we don't. But I'll tell you what, friends, we don't want folks like Jim living in a cardboard box on the street either. So we all need to go back to the drawing board and figure something else out. Just take that idea off the table. That's not who we are. We're better than that.
The vulnerable and defenseless need us, and we can't turn our backs on them. We must remember that we are all weak and in need of assistance at times in our lives. Any one of us could end up in the same position Jim is, with people deciding whether or not we're worth helping. So let's not even go there. Of course, he is important enough to help. He is a part of us, a part of our human family. Weakness does not change that for any of us.
And as the Apostle Paul said:
"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:35
