News

HAMMER RESIDENTS, FAMILY MEMBERS AND STAFF MEMBERS RALLY FOR WAGES AT STATE CAPITOL.

On Thursday March 3, a bus load of self advocates and their staff members from Hammer Residences convened at the Capitol to meet with their State Representatives requesting support for legislation (H.F. 775) that would provide a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for providers of services to people with developmental disabilities like Hammer, a non-profit agency which has served people with developmental disabilities for the past 82 years.

Representatives Ron Latz, Lyndon Carlson, Ann Rest, Steve Kelly, Barb Sykora, Steve Smith, David Gaither and Joyce Peppin all made themselves available to Hammer residents and their staff members throughout the day to discuss legislation and the potential for salary increases.

The devastating affects of poor pay for our direct support professionals (DSPs)—high staff turnover, lower quality of employees and reduced quality of life for the clients are a result of no rate increases over the past 3 years, and one of those years we received a 1% cut in rates. No rate increases combined with rising health insurance costs, higher cost of energy and increases in food costs for our residents has meant that we have been unable to pass on pay increases to employees who are already woefully underpaid for the complex and difficult jobs they perform.