CHANGING

LIVES

Summer 2013

A NEWSLETTER OF CATHOLIC CHARITIES DISABILITIES SERVICES IN THIS ISSUE:

PERSON-CENTERED SERVICES Read about the ways that Catholic Charities is transforming lives – one person at a time.

P 2

CCDS NAMED TOP WORKPLACE For the second year in a row, CCDS has been named a Capital Region Top Workplace by the Times Union! Our people love what they do, and it shows. Con-gratulations to our dedicated staff. You make all the difference.

P 4

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST!

66% of recent survey respondents said that they would like to be communicated with by email – so we’ve made it easy to sign up! Visit www.ccdservices.org to send us your email address. The “Join our Mailing List” box is on the right side of the page.

From Anne’s Desk Anne Ogden, Executive Director

Welcome to our recently redes-igned newsletter. In my role, I hear stories every day that inspire me – stories that show the amazing ca-

pacity of the individuals we support to live and love, the dedication of our staff, and the positive influence we can have in the lives of those who have disabilities. I know these are important to you, too. Whether you are an individ-ual receiving services, family member, a vendor, or just someone who is interested in our work, you play an important role in our community. The old saying “it takes a village” is truer than ever in our world, and together, we all contribute towards a brighter future for children and adults with disabilities. Here in New York State, unfortunately, the news has not been entirely positive for the individuals we serve. After a diffi-cult year with the budget, there are going to be more cutbacks to programs like ours which serve some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

To the individuals and families who came out and supported our efforts to inform lawmakers of the impact of these cuts, I want to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” for the tremendous advocacy that you undertook by calling your representa-tives, writing letters, going to meetings, and speaking out. Though the 2013-2014 budget included very serious cuts to state funding, our work is not over. We have to keep fighting and advocating for those who don’t have a voice. Here at Catholic Charities Disabilities Services, I’m reaching out to all who have supported our program in the past and I am asking for financial support this year. Your help is needed more than ever! If we all pull together, and donate what we can, we can continue to change lives in amazing ways. Please consider a much-needed donation by contacting my office at (518) 783-1111 or by using the enclosed envelope provided. Thank you for all that you do to support people with disabilities. I hope you enjoy these stories and news items.

CHANGING LIVES Catholic Charities Disabilities Services CHANGING LIVES | Catholic Charities Disabilities Services 4

UPCOMING EVENTS – JOIN US!

Catholic Charities Night at the Museum – June 20, 2013

CCDS Night at the Valley Cats - August 9, 2013

Golf for Good – August 12, 2013

Visit our website, or www.ccrcda.org, for more information

CONGRATULATIONS, CATHY!

Cathy, whose story is featured on page 2, recently received a special award from the Baptist Health, Nursing, and Rehabilitation Center in Scotia at their annual volunteer re-cognition event. Cathy logged the second most volunteer hours in 2012 at Baptist!

Changing Lives

Quarterly

Catholic Charities Disabilities Services

1 Park Place Suite 200 Albany, NY 12205

AN AGENCY OF CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF THE DIOCESE OF ALBANY

CCDS Named A Top Workplace!

On Sunday, April 21st, The Times Union published “The Times Union Top Workplaces” – a list of the best places to work in the Capital District. We are delighted to let you know that Catholic Charities Disabilities Services has been named to the list for the second consecutive year.

The evaluation for the Top Workplaces program is based upon feedback from an employee survey. Last year provided many budget challenges and not only did our employees all rise to the occasion but they maintained their commitment, dedication, and passion for the work that we do and to our agency.

CHANGING LIVES | Catholic Charities Disabilities Services 2 CHANGING LIVES | Catholic Charities Disabilities Services 3

“Vivian was a twenty-one year-old client who was receiving Medicaid Service Coordination and Community Supports Services from Catholic Charities’ Disabili-ties Services. After working with her for a while, and visiting her apartment, we knew we had to convince her to move out of her place and into another. It was a very small, cramped, one-room apartment with only a pull-out sofa and a chair. The rent was taking up most of her disability check. Vivian was overweight, used a walker, and hardly ever left the apartment. She was also depressed, and had a limited amount of family in the area that were looking after her. Our service providers spoke and we con-vinced Vivian to come out and look at some other homes with us. She found a one bedroom, three-room apartment

that she liked, so we worked with all of the service providers and assisted her with signing a new lease and moving into her new home. We drove Vivian to the Catho-lic Charities furniture warehouse, where she was able to fully furnish her new place. We went to the finance office and used some donated funds to buy Vivian kitchen supplies, pots and pans, silverware, curtains, bedding – all of the basics for her new home. The maintenance crew from CCDS even helped move her stuff in. When she came home for the first time, she was overjoyed. “My bed!” she exclaimed, “I’ve never had a bed!”

It was the first time she wouldn’t be sleeping on a couch. Now, several months later, Vivian is out and about in the community – visiting stores, learning the bus routes, and even going to the gym. Her health is improving, and her outlook on life is much better. It’s so great to see her thriving, and heartwarm-ing to see how much she has accomplished with the support of Catholic Charities.”

Maureen and Staff are out and about in the community!

A New Start Client Success (Names have been changed) A Letter from Staff

Catholic Charities Disabilities Services is providing a new service, called Consoli-dated Support Services, which uses a person-centered approach to help sup-port individuals with developmental disabilities. It’s centered around the person and what they want to do with their day – putting the client in charge of decisions, from the small and mundane (like what to eat for breakfast and when to eat) to the large and more significant (like personally interviewing and choos-ing their support staff.) “In a traditional approach, the clients in a day program spend their time in groups, doing activi-ties and going on outings,” says Susan Kittle, Director of Service Design and Innovation. “It’s very structured for the client, and everyone does what’s on the schedule at the same time. With Con-solidated Support Services, we work with the individual so that they can make decisions about what they want to do and where they want to go. All of the

work is one-on-one. We bring in staff members that they have chosen to be a part of their lives. Suddenly, it be-comes, ‘What do you want to do to-day,’ and ‘What sort of life would you like to have?’ Cathy is one of the people who is re-ceiving Consolidated Supports and Services, and Susan lights up when telling her story. “It was wonderful to see her respond so well to the CSS approach. After working with our staff to build a life plan, Cathy de-cided she wanted to spend her time vol-unteering, so she was volunteering at a nursing home, teaching keyboard and Zumba classes four days a week. The residents loved her, and she was getting such enjoyment out of her day. She also decided that she was ready to try some-thing different, which was a huge sign of success for her. Your day and my day aren’t the same every day, and Cathy’s

shouldn’t be either. She decided she wanted to start volunteering with chil-dren, because she loves kids. Now, she’s so much happier because she’s growing, changing, and living the life that she wants.”

Ruth (Left) and Cathy (Right) pose for a quick picture!

Person-Centered Services Make a Difference

Agencies Grapple with State Cuts

Service providers to adults and children with disabilities are facing a stark reality as funding from New York State is cut by $155 million dollars in this year’s budget. The reduction will mainly affect non-profits providing services to people with permanent disabilities. Program administrators are concerned with the possibility of having to cut back services in light of the serious funding reductions. “It’s going to be very difficult,” said Anne Ogden, Executive Director of Catholic Charities Disabilities Services. “We’re working with our staff members and the individuals and families we support to make the best possible decisions to minimize impacts to the people we serve.”

Anne estimates that Catholic Charities’ program, one of the largest in the Albany area, could see a sharp reduction as part of the overall statewide drop. “I know our staff is concerned, too, because we’re all committed to the absolute best quality of care. Nobody wants to think about what happens if we have to reduce the time we spend with individuals, or roll back the

number of programs and services we provide. Every day we see the difference our work makes, and we need to let the lawmak-ers in Albany know so they see what these cuts mean.”

Anne is quick to caution that until the details become clearer on exactly how the reductions will be implemented, her agency will continue to take a measured approach to the challenge. The outlook, however, is concerning. Programs like Catholic Chari-ties’ Disabilities Services are primarily funded by state contracts and Medicaid. The reductions would certainly mean people being served by Catholic Charities would see a decrease in the services offered or the level of assistance provided. That is what worries Anne most of all.

“The people we assist are some of the most vulnerable in our communities,” she said. “Those of us who care about people with disabilities have to keep advocating, keep pushing for change, and make sure that their voice is heard, especially by those with the power to make, and reverse, decisions like this.”

FAST FACTS—FROM OUR RECENT CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY

96%

Of the individuals and families we serve would recommend us!

42%

Felt we increased legislative and advocacy outreach in the last year!

PEOPLE SHOW OFF THEIR TALENTS WITH THE SUPPORT OF CCDS!

Carey Violette got the chance to showcase her creative side

at the 2013 NYSARCA Conference

Due to our strong commitment to Direct Support Professionals, CCDS was

asked to have one of our Direct Support Professionals (DSP) sit on the New

York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) DSP

Advisory Council, which will meet regularly with OPWDD Commissioner

Burke.

Olivia Fagan from Wellington was selected to represent our agency.

Thank you to Olivia for representing us!

CCDS Staff Member Named to State Advisory Council