BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Nearly a dozen Brown County nonprofits that help seniors and those with disabilities are keeping a close eye on the state budget debate.
They’re specifically interested in Family Care funding — money that helps to support programs they not only offer, but that make a difference in the lives of those they serve.
CP serves about 2,200 families a year. Anywhere from 125 to 130 adults with disabilities take advantage of their programming daily. Robbie Bergener is one of those clients.
“CP means a lot to me. I come here, go swimming and do arts and crafts,” he said.
Bergener also lives in a group home run by Innovative Care Services.
“We have 23 homes, mostly in the Fox Valley,” said Michael Schwartz, CEO of Innovative Care Services. “Our 23 homes serve 100 people with 24/7 care, food, medicine. Exactly the type of care that they need.”
These programs and these homes are truly a lifeline for adults with disabilities in Wisconsin.
“It’s a safe place for them to come. It’s a place for them to gain some independence, and without programs like that, they’d be forced to divert to far more expensive options,” said Jon Syndergaard, CEO of CP.
That’s why nine Brown County nonprofits that serve adults with disabilities are banding together, pushing for continued funding to the state’s Family Care program in the next state budget. That funding supports both residential and day services.
According to Syndergaard, “The Family Care program is not under fire. One of the things that we’re interested in is ensuring that we see the necessary increases in Family Care, to continue to provide the type of services that we do here on a weekly basis at CP.”
Continuing to fund Family Care not only helps those living in Brown County, but also the 57,000 Wisconsinites in the program. Losing it would be devastating to not only clients, but taxpayers as a whole.
“This is the most cost effective way to care for these clients, so either way the state is going to care for them. If it’s not through Family Care and home and community-based services, then it’s going to be a form of care that is incredibly more expensive and these clients will absolutely have their lives upended,” added Schwartz.
The current state budget proposal designates about $100 million for Family Care. It’s funding the nonprofits say would still be a loss for them, but a moderate one they could sustain.
