FW: Loss of contract may doom Garland agency for the mentally disabled

[Guest guest]

From: Eastham

Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 10:21 AM

To: Fredericks; Nagla and Alvin; Elias Alba; Robin LeoGrande

Subject: Loss of contract may doom Garland agency for the mentally

disabled

In this morning DMN:

Loss of

contract may doom Garland agency for the mentally disabled

12:00 AM CST on Monday, November 17, 2008

By

KIM HORNER / The Dallas Morning News

khorner@...

Dozens of disabled workers sit at their usual tables in a no-frills Garland

warehouse, waiting for something to do.

G.J. MCCARTHY/DMN

Judith Warner, 48, found work and

friendships at North Texas Rehabilitation Services in Garland.

" When I walk on the floor, they ask: 'Do you have any work for us,

Mike?' " said Pope, president and chief executive officer of North

Texas Rehabilitation Services.

" It's breaking my heart. "

G.J. MCCARTHY/DMN

Some packaging and assembly workers at

North Texas Rehabilitation Services are left with little to do after a large

customer was recently forced to end its contract.

The Garland-based nonprofit recently lost a contract that provided packaging

and assembly tasks for many of its 350 workers, all of whom have mental

disabilities. The client, a building-supply business, has opted to take the

work in-house because of the tough economy.

That has left some employees at North Texas Rehabilitation Services without

any work, and others with smaller paychecks.

Mr. Pope worries that his agency could shut down if it doesn't find other

jobs. The contract brought in $60,000 to $70,000 a month, about a third of its

revenue.

The recent turn of events has meant less pay for Barbara Charlebois'

severely disabled daughter, Blair, 24, who works at the agency's Carrollton

site. Blair, who receives about $630 a month in government disability income,

typically earns enough from her job to buy extras such as DVDs and shoes, Ms.

Charlebois said.

But the job isn't just about money, she said. Her daughter also enjoys

socializing at the center.

" This is what they can count on in their lives; it gives them

purpose, " Ms. Charlebois said. " They won't have anything if this goes

away. It's the end of the line. "

Jim Warner said few options exist for mentally disabled adults. His

48-year-old daughter, Judith, has Down syndrome. She has been a regular at the

Garland site for more than 30 years.

" She looks forward to going there and seeing her friends, " said

Mr. Warner, who drops her off on his way to work each day. " It gives her

something to do, and she feels like she's accomplishing something rather than

sitting at home every day. "

North Texas Rehabilitation Services is one of several area nonprofit

agencies that offer work, vocational training and recreational activities to

adults with mental disabilities.

The workers range in age from recent high school graduates to senior

citizens. Some have disabilities too severe for them to find other work. Others

are training to get jobs at local businesses. The nonprofit provides extra

supervision and counseling, as well as recreational programs for those who do

not want to work.

On a recent morning, many workers sat at rows of tables quietly arranging

cosmetics in gift boxes and placing stickers on supplement bottles. Under an

exception to the minimum-wage law, they are paid based on the amount of work

they do. Some earn little, while others earn $1,000 a month.

The nonprofit receives some government support and donations. But much of

its funding comes from its work contracts. And it bids competitively.

" We don't get business because people feel sorry for us, " Mr. Pope

said. " Our guys take their jobs very seriously, and they work really

hard. "

North Texas Rehabilitation Services has done a great job of packaging

building supplies for Simpson Strong-Tie Co.'s McKinney plant, said Phil

Burton, a company vice president. But he said Simpson had to end the contract

because of the economic downturn.

" The last thing we want is for those guys not to make it, " Mr.

Burton said. " We fully intend to go back to them at some point. "

Eastham, HCS/ICF Program Administrator

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