Lee and John are middle-aged male residents
of a REM group home in Minnesota. Lee suffers from mild
mental retardation and has high anxiety. He is very bright and nearly fully
functional. Lee has an
EXCEPTIONAL memory and is extremely courteous. He is well on his way to
independence, yet needs help
with his personal finances and some tasks associated with everyday life,
such as home maintenance and
meal preparation. John also has mild mental retardation and was born with
a few more physical
complications, but is also very functional and also quite independent. Because
of his physical
complications, John will probably never live alone yet he is capable of
many tasks around the house.
John has a huge heart (he goes so far as to try to take care of his own
mother whose health is failing
her) and is just a great guy to be around.
Both men work at West Central Industries, a work shop where they have
job coaches and do excellent work.
John and Lee are very capable of working at this workshop and receive moderate
compensation for their
tasks that they complete, which goes into their checking and savings accounts
to help pay for their
rent, their daily needs and activities. Working gives the guys a chance
to socialize, earn money and
further their independence in the community. The Governors budget could
possibly cut out funding for
work shops and their job coaches, thus John and Lee would be taking a big
step backwards in terms of
becoming independent individuals within the community. It would also mean
less money for them to get buy
on, which is already low enough. Lee and John are capable and willing to
do this work. It doesn’t make
sense to get rid of a program that is doing good things for these individuals
and their community and it
will only put these guys worse off financially and in turn they will become
a bigger strain on the
economy and government.
Sarah and Jessi are 10 year old
twins who were born 24 weeks early and as a result of their premature
birth they suffered several disabilities, along with issues normally associated
with premature birth.
Sarah was born with cerebral palsy which has affected her mobility, her
ability to learn and her ability
to speak and function on a age appropriate level. Jessi was born with mild
mental retardation and has
ADHD. She too suffers from learning disabilities and behavioral problems.
The girls also have had
physical problems such as their growth and development, their ability to
release waste appropriately and
various other dilemmas.
Despite their disabilities, both girls are truly “miracle children” and
they are amazing in every way.
They are fun, sweet, caring, adventurous, curious and loveable girls. They
are learning, with the help
of their aides, independence skills, and both girls are improving daily.
Their household costs are quite
high and therefore their parents both work full-time and are very busy.
The girls are assisted everyday
by their aides so that their parents can work and keep up with things around
the house, as Sarah and
Jessi need constant supervision at this point in their lives. As a result
of the Governors budget cuts,
the girls may lose some of their staff hours, which are essential to their
well-being and to their
progress. Without staff around, the girls will lose the individual attention
necessary for them to
proceed towards independence and that they need, as a result of their disabilities,
to learn new things.
Their family may be able to absorb some cuts in hours, however, with dramatic
cuts, their family would
be facing many difficulties.
YWCA Clay County Transitional Housing Program Stories
Marilyn is a 67 year old woman and raising
her 3rd generation. Marilyn’s daughter was murdered over 10 years
and left behind 3 children. Marilyn has raised one of the children
since he was a newborn and the other two children will be living with Marilyn
within the next month. The living conditions that Marilyn and her grandson
endured prior to coming into the Transitional Housing Program are unimaginable
to most people. Marilyn has showed staff bits on her legs caused by
cockroaches. She would have her grandson sleep under a light so the
cockroaches would leave him alone. Since coming into the Transitional
Housing Program; Marilyn has taken some computer classes, she has opened a
saving account and actively deposits money into it. She has also completed
a 6 and ½ hour tenant education class.
S.S. is 42 years old and has one child. She left her home country of Somalia to escape the fighting and stayed in a camp in Kenya before seeking refuge in the United States in 1997. She left her family to gain freedom. While in Somalia SS contracted Malaria and as a result has chronic liver problems. Her teeth were decayed from the lack of proper nutrition and no access to dental services. While in the Transitional Housing Program SS as attained Permanent Residency, learned how to drive, has paid off past medical bills and has started savings account. SS attends English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. SS has been able to seek medical attention for her diseased liver and has had her teeth replaced which has significantly increased she self esteem. One of SS dreams is for her family to reunite in the United States.