Saratoga Bridges Increases Wages for Direct Support Workers - Programs May Be In Financial Squeeze Without State-Wide Budget Increases

SARATOGA SPRINGS — It is one thing to do a job, clock in and out at the appropriate times, and another to encourage individuals to lead a more purposeful, independent and productive day, even after the shift is done. Pamela Polacsek, communications specialist at Saratoga Bridges (SB), has seen some of her coworkers, the direct support workers (DSW), do just that. “They are the vast majority (397 of 577 SB employees are DSWs - 69 percent) of our workforce employees,” she said. “They are the individuals who provide value support to the people we serve.” SB’s DSWs aid individuals with developmental disabilities on a day-to-day basis through programs such as the day program, community-based homes, supportive apartments, family support services and transportation. The participation, interaction and visibility of the consumers at SB within the community are very often facilitated by DSWs. A trip to the movies or church, training for a job, transportation to work, or helping select a card for a loved one’s birthday are only a few of the necessary and creative ways DSWs assist their consumers. SB is an advocate and support system for individuals with disabilities by helping to connect its consumers through employment, volunteer and outreach opportunities, but not without its DSWs. And, in order to supplement its core workforce, SB has included a 2 percent wage increase for qualifying DSWs. “In order to ensure that we have got the highest quality employees, we want to make sure they are trained properly and that they are not in a position where they have to work two jobs to support their family,” Polacsek said. “Having a working wage gives us more advantage in the community,” Polacsek said. “Not only are these (DSW’s) working very hard, but competition for these workers is very hard. So in order to compete with other places that are in the human service field, I feel it’s appropriate to pay them accordingly.” SB increased wages 2 percent for its DSW in its 2013 budget and has another 2 percent planned for 2014. The increase in 2013 went unfunded by New York State’s budget, and pending the state budget decisions for this year, expected to be finalized March 21, they may go unfunded again. A wage increase in the state budget would not only help fund the wage increases already made in SB’s budget and compensate SB’s planned wage increase for 2014, but it would also slow the financial squeeze affecting SB’s other programs when wage increases go unfunded by the state. SB was able to spend $350,000 in salary compensation for its employees in 2013. “We were able to do so by limiting our programs that lose money,” said Valerie Muratori, executive director at SB. One such program provides in-home respite to about 200 families. For every dollar provided for in-home respite, SB loses fifty cents. “As a result, we have to limit the number of people who can receive this service,” Muratori wrote in an email. “We (SB) keep an active waitlist,” she said. “And a lot of times, if we can’t support that person, we refer them to another place, but this is an issue state wide. The respite rate that is made available is unfunded, and a lot of similar organizations are moving about it in a similar manner.” Muratori said that SB is constantly evaluating ways to be more efficient in order to continue to provide needed services which has led to a decrease in employees’ sick time availability from 12 days to six annually; and for the first time, they have had to initiate a co-pay for employees for their health insurance. There is little wiggle room in the organization’s budget; however, SB remains flexible and affective in the programs it does provide to its clients. Debbie Barrett has been a DSW for 25 of the 30 years she has worked at SB. She is one of five employment specialists that help train and support about 120 individuals coming through the agency’s Alpha Career Options (ACO) program. She is also one of the DSW workers that goes beyond the job description. “It’s not just working with them on the job,” Barrett said. “I volunteer, and I’m going to be there so they can be successful and feel good about themselves.” “Yeah, money, would be great, but when you come to this field - human resources, it’s not just for anybody,” she said. “It’s got to be in your heart and love what you do.” The work of individuals with special needs and their staff does not go unnoticed. SB, through ACO, has long-standing relationships with dozens of local companies, with which it teams individuals with disabilities and a DSW. Stewart’s Shops is one of those companies and has hired individuals from SB’s ACO program for close to 20 years to work at its corporate office. “I can’t say enough what a great relationship it’s been and that we look forward to continuing our relationship in the future,” said Maria D’Amela, Stewart’s public relations specialist. DSWs continue to open up doors for new community relationships by bridging clients to the community such as the match between two consumers, Aaron Stetson and George Riddle, and Saratoga Farmer’s Market that began last summer. “We were happy with them and entered into a full-time partnership (during the summer),” said Charles Holub, president of Saratoga Farmer’s Market Association. “They have a supervisor working with them and it was no problem getting them started.” The effort of juggling the budget between wages and programs is the necessity of invention bridging SB and community involvement. While Stetson, busy at work at Saratoga Farmers Market on a Saturday afternoon, said: “I like it (his job) because it gets me out of the house on the weekends and doing real work.”