Now that New Jersey is coming to serious aid understaffed group homesit needs to look at another critical sector for people with disabilities, says an advocate.
The Gov. Phil Murphy budget just came out proposes $165 million in new spending to increase pay for workers in group homes and day programs for the disabled. But it doesn’t include a similar investment for personal care aides, who help people living outside of congregate care settings, said Javier Robles, organizer of the New Jersey Disability Action Committee.
Assistants are hard to find because their pay lags, said Robles, a Rutgers professor who uses a wheelchair and said he has struggled to hire assistants. The Disability Action Committee, a coalition of advocates, has asked the state to also consider aid for workers, he said.
More:NJ plans $165M increase in staffing at group homes, day programs for people with disabilities
“Everybody is choosing to work somewhere else like Amazon or UPS or wherever, where they get paid $18 an hour versus $15 an hour, which is the highest I can get paid,” Robles said. “That’s almost minimum wage now.
“I’m competing with more people for jobs that have benefits and there’s some room for growth. The state really hasn’t invested in this group, and that’s problematic,” he said. “States that don’t start investing and making sure people have personal care assistants, these people are going to end up in an institution.”
Gene Myers covers disability and mental health for NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account now.
Email: myers@northjersey.com
Twitter: @myersgene