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Disability Service Provider Concerned About NY Funding Cuts

A photo of Lou Deepe, CEO of Wildwood Programs
Wildwood Programs
Lou Deepe, COO and incoming CEO of Wildwood Programs

With New York state facing a roughly $15 billion budget deficit and the outlook for federal relief unclear, a number of sectors that rely on state money are bracing for funding cuts. Among those concerned is the disability services provider Wildwood Programs, based in Latham. 

WAMC's Jim Levulis spoke with the company’s current COO and incoming CEO Lou Deepe.

Deepe: The state of the fiscal environment in New York State is tough on everyone. We in the disabilities field feel like we have been, you know, under siege, if you will, for quite some time now, in terms of the number of rate cuts and so forth that we've had to endure over the past several years, and we have seen a real impact on quality as a field in general, and, you know, we, we have had several kinds of cuts happen and fiscal challenges over just the last several months from the crisis. And those combined are having a just a tremendous impact on Wildwood and other similar agencies. Obviously, and I think we may have touched upon this, the last time we spoke, you know, there's a lot of unbudgeted just COVID, in general expenses that agencies have had to cover and, you know, covering such things as PPE, personal protective equipment that we hadn't anticipated, you know, masks and gloves and face shields, gowns, etc. And then also, you know, a lot of overtime costs for staff. Because, you know, this, this pandemic has also caused an excessive amount of vacancy within agencies, and we've had to, of course, you know, still cover services. And, you know, in addition to that, there, when the pandemic first started in March, you know, we were provided with kind of a safety net program, knowing that we had to, you know, completely shut down some programs and not have any income coming in and not being able to deliver services. And then, you know, that changed along the way, but that went away in October. And despite the fact that we still are operating under 50%, capacity restrictions, were expected to try to bring in 100% of revenue, and that just is not feasible. And, and a few months ago, the state also started withholding 20% on their state contracts. And we're hoping that doesn't turn into a permanent cut. But all of these things combined are several hundred thousand dollars agencies had not planned on, you know, prior to this pandemic. Just last week, the governor, you know, put out his call letter to his state agency heads. And whereas in the last few years, it's been a request for a zero percent kind of flat budget. You know, this one looks like it's calling for a 5% reduction across the board. And we're very concerned about, you know, what that impact will look like for agencies like Wildwood.

Levulis: What are the ramifications there, if that goes through?

Well, I think agencies are already having to make some tough choices. You know, in terms of programs and services, you know, you see some agencies having to make some program closures, or downsizing certain supports. And I think why would be no different if we continue to head in this direction. You know, we are incredibly fortunate. Wildwood is specifically to have a real broad base of support from our families and other community partners. You know, the donations and other forms of giving we've experienced, from our supporters this year has really kind of, you know, been unparalleled, which we were just so grateful for. Without that, I don't know, you know, where why we would be and what we do, you know, in support of people.

And if I have it correctly, Wildwood programs has an annual budget of $38 million. Do you have an estimate of how much of that is in jeopardy?

Yeah, absolutely. That is accurate. And, and, you know, quite a substantial portion is in jeopardy. You know, we already based off of the things I listed, you know, at the beginning in terms of those, you know, kind of fiscal challenges and cuts that have come our way, and that may come our way, you know, we're anticipating revenue losses of up to or over a million dollars, which is quite substantial. We're already looking at having making choices. You know, these are kind of crippling cuts, if they go into effect, then it would be extremely, you know, detrimental to people and families, not to mention our workforce, which is hung in with us, you know, these past several months and put their health and safety on the line to keep people safe and, you know, ensure that their needs are met Despite living through a worldwide pandemic.

And Lou, what are you hearing from the people who utilize your programs and their families about what would happen if you do have to cut back on programming and services?

Well, it would have a tremendous impact on their lives, when we had to basically stop some programs in March and April because of the spike and then The pandemic, you know, we heard directly from individuals and families how much you know, regression that they experienced not being able to have that social interaction and not being able to have that daily structure, and education and support. There's nothing like in person supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. And, you know, if programs like Wildwood are forced to make, you know, decisions and clothes or downsize, you know, in person support for people. We're hearing that, and we know that that would have a tremendous impact on people and their families.

You mentioned the workforce, what's the total workforce at Wildwood?

750

And is that held steady? Since the pandemic? Or is that, you know, was that the number in 2019?

That was pre pandemic, we've lost quite a few people. You know, during it, I mean, it's, we're not too far off of that, I would say more probably down towards 700. Current, maybe 725. But certainly, we've lost a lot of people during it, just you know, because of their own personal choices. And it's, the work has gotten, you know, much harder, trying to keep people safe during a pandemic, when you have locked downs. And, you know, trying to our population that we support, often struggles with social distancing and mask wearing on a consistent basis. And so, you know, for those staff who are really supporting people directly on the front lines, that's a challenge. And I don't know my hat's off to them, you know, for continuing to show up every day and to do what's needed.

Have you had to lay anybody off?

We, you know, at Wildwood, we haven't had to yet which we are extremely, you know, happy for, again, that goes back to the support that we've had, you know, through our, through our foundation and through our community partners. You know, other organizations are not as, you know, fortunate to have such a, you know, fundraising capacity. And that's really just one of the main ways we've been able to kind of stave off those layoffs and ever furloughs.

Jim is WAMC’s Associate News Director and hosts WAMC's flagship news programs: Midday Magazine, Northeast Report and Northeast Report Late Edition. Email: jlevulis@wamc.org
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