Tree’s Report on the Disability Policy Seminar, Washington DC
by Tree Hershberger, Residential Director
While at the Disability Policy Seminar in Washington DC, self Advocate Shawn Aleong ended his story of how Medicaid has impacted his life with this statement: “Medicaid is not just a service. It’s an integral part of humanity so all people can be seen as equal.” Another self advocate declared at the end of her story “I am not fraud. I am not waste.”
As I’m writing this, we are still uncertain of what the final product of budget reconciliation in congress will leave us with. An eye-popping goal of cutting 880 billion dollars from Energy and Commerce, which oversees Medicaid and Medicare, leaves our vulnerable people extra vulnerable right now. The fact that basic services like Home and Community Based Supports (HCBS- which funds the waivers that allow us to support our residential core members) are optional Medicaid supports is certainly unnerving.
With looming doom and gloom budget cuts at both our federal and state levels of government, I find myself drawn back to our community and the relentless hope that is our namesake and keeps us moving forward. Being able to navigate the tumultuous social and political climate in the context of a caring and supportive community of people is no small gift. It’s easy to feel powerless and inconsequential in these political environments and forget the impact and influence we have in our own everyday circles.
We can share our stories – with our legislators, our friends, our community. We can practice listening well to each other, not just to prove points, but to understand a different perspective. We can lovingly hold each other accountable to treating each other with respect. We can offer kindness to everyone from the grocery store clerk to the first person we see in the morning before our coffee has fully kicked in. We can reach out to those around us who often go unnoticed. We can remind each other that none of us are a waste, but rather worth the investment.
At the end of the day, these are the things that give me hope and the energy to keep moving forward. I have to trust that it is these actions that create ripples and lead to real transformation in our community and the larger world. Let me leave you with these questions:
What kind of ripples are you creating in your circle of influence? Do those ripples move you toward the kind of society you want to be part of?
Where do you find hope and stay grounded in the midst of chaos?
Legislative Updates from Hayden
by Hayden Hubbs, Residential Coordinator
There are a lot of things happening at the local and federal legislative level this year, and a lot of them impact our funding at L’Arche Tahoma Hope!
In Olympia, state legislators are working to fully fund our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) via negotiations with the Adult Family Home Council. This year our state is also in a 12 billion dollar deficit which means that many programs are on the chopping block. One of these is the “Meaningful Day Program” which designates funds for people with disabilities to be able to participate in fun and meaningful activities that enhance their quality of life. As we all know, our Core Members deserve more than basic medical care to live their best lives and therefore programs like these are essential for making sure we have the funds to do that!
In Washington DC we are seeing a frightening situation play out with lawmakers in both the Senate and the House passing a budget this week that, right now, would call for MAJOR cuts to the Medicaid Program.
What is medicaid you might ask? Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that allows low income people or those with disabilities to access healthcare and other essential health programs. What this means is that the federal government (those folks working up in DC) give the state of Washington a certain amount of money, and the state adds in a certain amount of money, and that money is distributed to our folks which is how we exist as an organization as L’Arche Tahoma Hope.
So as you might imagine, the threat of cutting this funding is something that is very concerning to us as an organization!
However there is still hope! Back in 2017 a similar bill was introduced in DC and it failed due in large part to the incredible advocacy that came out of the Disability Community around the country. While the initial bills have been passed, we now enter into a period of negotiations where it is essential that our voices are heard!
In the coming weeks we will be hosting Advocacy Sessions where we can all learn about these complicated processes and what we can do to make sure that our legislators know what cutting our funding would mean! We will also be emailing out resources and Calls to Action so please keep your eyes peeled for those. I cannot stress enough how impactful taking five minutes to share your story with a legislator can be in moments like these.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Tree or me. Democracy works best when we are all active in it!
