SCHENECTADY — Cindy Barkowski’s son, John, receives care from direct support professionals, who tend to his everyday needs.
But the industry, she said, faces massive turnover rates and she’s at a loss for how to ensure his ongoing care.
“We need changes,” Barkowski said. “We need help.”
Roughly 50 advocates, parents and workers rallied in Schenectady's Proctors Theatre on Thursday to draw attention to what they’ve described as a crisis in recruiting and retaining direct support professionals for those who care for people with disabilities.
“We’re here because we have a crisis,” said Kirk Lewis, executive director for Schenectady ARC. “This was bad before the pandemic, but it got worse during the pandemic.”
Lewis said the industry is facing the worst climate that he’s seen in his three decades in the field.
“We need to act quickly and decisively to help providers retain and grow this critical workforce,” he said.
Advocates have placed the blame on a workforce shortage they contend has been compounded by a lack of state funding and competition with the fast food industry they claim undercuts their industry by paying wages as high as $15 per hour.
In contrast, the average wage for direct support professionals is far lower, advocates contend. Lewis said Schenectady ARC's base rate of pay is $12.80 per hour.
Agencies and supportive lawmakers are calling for increased financial support and operating costs so that they have the ability to pay critical employees a living wage, and the event was part of a statewide effort to raise awareness.
State Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, D-Rotterdam, spoke at length about the how staffing fluctuations has impacted his son, Michael, who has autism.
“We have to be their voice,” Santabarbara said.
Santabarbara called for more state funds for the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, and sounded the alarm bells against future cuts for organizations.
“We’re not looking for a one-shot deal here, which is a Band-Aid,” Santabarbara said. “We need long-term sustainability within the direct care profession. That means providing career opportunities, and that means providing a wage that makes sense.”
State Sen. James Tedisco, R-Glenville, echoed those concerns, calling the situation “shameful" and encouraged attendees to lobby the state, while Assemblyman Phil Steck, D-Colonie, said funds from the recent hike adopted during this year's budget process on high-earners should be funneled to the agency.
“You can’t do these things without new taxes,” Steck said.
Numerous speakers delivered comments at Proctors on Thursday, including direct support professionals, people with disabilities and their family members.
A spokesperson for the governor’s office didn’t immediately respond for comment on Thursday.
According to a recent study by the New York Disability Advocates, 93 percent of providers saw a decrease in job applications this year. And statewide vacancy rates have increased 75 percent since pre-pandemic levels, according to the organization,
That has resulted, in part, in an assembly-line rotation of staffers caring for people with disabilities.
“There’s no way for us to continue to push forward,” said Calvin Tucker, a direct support professional with Schenectady ARC, who spoke of staffers putting in 80-hour workweeks and burning themselves out in the process.
“This is really hard for us to understand because we’re in the field of assisting people,” Tucker said.
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