Take Legislative Action Today: State Funding for Day and Employment Service Providers
Thank you for your continued support of Partnership Resources, Inc. (PRI) and the services we provide to people with disabilities. Today, we are asking you to reach out to our State leadership.
At PRI, a limited number of us continue to work to sustain our agency during our closure while forming plans around how to reopen services safely and provide services in new ways. This work is being replicated in over 100 other nonprofit agencies, fighting to survive during this time and preparing to reopen when it is safe to do so. All disability day and employment service providers need our help to get through this time of closure. Please use this letter as a template and include your own thoughts as you contact Governor Walz and House and Senate leaders to urge their support. Please CUSTOMIZE the message below and reach out TODAY to these leaders (links included):
Contact Office of Governor Walz
Contact Senate Majority Leader Gazelka
Contact Senate Minority Leader Kent
Contact Speaker of the House Hortman: rep.melissa.hortman@house.mn
Contact House Minority Leader Daudt: rep.kurt.daudt@house.mn
Sample Letter
Email Subject Line: Help Ensure Minnesotans with Disabilities Have Day and Employment Support Services to Return to Following the COVID-19 Outbreak
Dear XXX,
Thank you for everything that you are doing to help steer our State forward through the COVID-19 outbreak. These are very uncertain times for us all and we appreciate all of your efforts.
As a statewide leader, I am asking you to please prioritize part of the one-time federal funds Minnesota received related to COVID-19 to Disability Day and Employment Services Infrastructure Retention grants. Through this action you will be prioritizing services for a group of individuals who are often forgotten, a group that represents over 26,000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities living in Minnesota.
Disability Service providers are fighting to survive the disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Six weeks ago, most day and employment service providers closed. With six weeks of no reimbursements, these nonprofit service providers are struggling to cover minimal operational costs that would allow them to resume services when it is safe to do so. While there have been various bills introduced and legislative discussions focused on this critical need in recent weeks, Minnesota has yet to take the step that many other states have taken to provide limited financial relief to the infrastructure of disability day and employment services.
With reserve funds running dry, without funding relief, many providers may not be able to resume operations following the passage of the outbreak. With State support, together we can ensure that we will all return to a new normal where community-based services are still available for adults with significant developmental and physical disabilities. We can ensure that Minnesota still is a state where all individuals have access to the community through services to support them in their employment and day enrichment activity goals.
INSERT YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO PRI HERE AND TELL YOUR STORY, FOCUSING ON THE IMPACT OF DAY AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES AND WHAT IT WOULD MEAN IF ACCESS TO THESE SERVICES WERE LIMITED AFTER COVID-19.
One-time grant funding would help begin to stabilize service providers and is a critical step to ensuring that we do not face a significantly weakened service system for Minnesotans with disabilities after this outbreak.
As a statewide leader, I am asking you to please prioritize this need in discussions around the use of one-time federal funds Minnesota received related to COVID-19. Please let me know of any questions you have or how I can best help you prioritize this issue so critical to Minnesota’s disability services system.
Sincerely,