On the frigid morning of Thursday, January 10, 2019 the staff and individuals of Living Resources, Inc. piled into vans, cars, and buses to light a fire in the War Room of the State Capitol. The purpose of this energy was to participate in the #bFair2DirectCare movement.
It is a sad fact that many people in the Human Service industry are not able to earn a living wage. Many agencies have a high turnover rate as a consequence when employees are unable to compete with the low wages and inevitable stressors of the job itself.
A 2014 College Experience alumnus and autism self-advocate named, Andrew Maggio is featured in one of the photos with the Media and Activities Liaison, Jesse Saperstein. Andrew put it best when he said there are “people who get paid more money to work with a hamburger than those who work with actual human beings!” (It is true there are fast food workers who make more money than those involved in the human services field.)
The President of our Self-Advocacy Group, David Young also attended and made his voice reverberate throughout the Capitol walls. Our Development Coordinator, Cathi Butryn and the Director of Day Opportunities and Art, Frank Prevratil organized the trip and provided Living Resources signs.
While the rate of pay in Living Resources, Inc. may be higher than other agencies and the turnover rate is lower than the average across the nation, circumstances could always be better. Our presence at the State Capitol was to acknowledge that we value our workers and will forever advocate that they deserve to live comfortably while financially providing for their loved ones. Workers, individuals receiving services, parents, and politicians united as a collective force in the War Room to battle for necessary change.
This was not the first and this is hardly going to be the final time we shall gather for such a purpose. On Wednesday, February 27, 2019 we will once again gather in Albany for the Coalition of Provider Associations (COPA) Lobby Days to meet with the elected officials to encourage them in supporting stronger laws and regulations that shall benefit our staff and the people we support.
The Lobby Days are scheduled to take place from Tuesday, February 26, 2019 to Wednesday, February 27, 2019 and we could use your enthusiasm if you are interested in participating.
What comes after graduation? Many College Experience students, in fact most, choose to remain in Albany. They maintain friendships with their fellow and former graduates, form romantic partnerships, and some get married.