MISSOURI – “If we don’t stand up for the people that need it the most in our state, then I don’t know what we’re doing,” Missouri State Sen. Brian Williams told FOX 2 following our September Fox Files report on our disability crisis.
People like 57-year-old Lisa Jackson are one of hundreds being denied disability services, even though the State of Missouri says she needs those services.
Williams added, “It’s very troubling and concerning to me that disabled Missourians didn’t get the adequate funding they need to live an adequate everyday life.”
Earlier this year, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson agreed with the need for funding those in need when he recommended a budget of $79.4 million for 1,952 new individuals with developmental disabilities. The general assembly removed the funding despite Williams’ fight to keep it.
The U.S. Department of Justice also weighed in on this issue this past spring. The DOJ investigated Missouri and found the state in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
A 45-page report accused the state of “unnecessarily institutionalizing adults with mental health disabilities in nursing facilities.”
Lisa Jackson, for instance, works a job four days a week. She cannot continue without services.
Jackson’s sister Vanessa Barton-Green said her sister and others “deserve to be out in the community; they should not just be confined.”
St. Louis County’s Public Administrator, Timothy Weaks, is responsible for those who slip through the cracks.
“The State of Missouri, especially the legislature, needs to find out how to properly fund these community programs to keep people out of institutions,” he said.
Williams added, “We’ll have an opportunity to revisit this, and I’m confident that we’ll be able to pull some levelheaded people together. Keep in mind this isn’t a partisan issue—this is really about a common goal to make sure everyone in our state has access to quality services.”
He says there’s a chance to fight again during this year’s supplemental budget. Meanwhile, the hundreds of people being denied services—despite proving they need help—continue to grow.
The latest waiting list, according to Missouri’s Department of Mental Health, includes 323 people on the in-home services wait list and 68 people on the residential services wait list.
