by Anna Hundley, ATC Executive Director
While serving as Executive Director of the Autism Treatment
Centers of Texas since 1982, there have been many challenges along the
way. As you might guess, most of them
have to do with funding critical services for children and adults in our
program. I’ve been around long enough to
know that budget issues are never going away and must be tackled head on. Kicking the can down the road only gets
costlier. That’s the issue the Texas
Legislature is dealing with now.
For over twenty years, the Department of Family Protective
Services has placed children with autism and challenging behaviors with
ATC. Currently, 29 children are enrolled
in ATC programs for direct-care services.
From community-based group homes to one-on-one autism-specific
therapies, ATC takes care of their every need providing everything from shoelaces to braces.
Often times, once a child is placed at ATC for
early-intervention services, they turn into lifetime services. Many of the kids placed at ATC by FPS are
still with us, but now in Adult Services.
The continuity of services and familiarity with staff members has only
contributed to their increased independence and overall quality of life. To provide a lifetime of quality care,
however, requires money. ATC cannot
shoulder the entire cost.
State reimbursements fund approximately 80% of the entire
cost of providing an array of services for each individual. Private fundraising, wise stewardship of
limited resources, and an engaged Board of Directors help us sustain the
programs while keeping them affordable to families in the community seeking our
services.
An August 1 article in the Dallas Morning News reported a
state contractor for protective children’s services pulled out of a $30 million
a year contract due to problems with adequate funding. Stories like this are not unusual. While it takes a significant investment for
state agencies to appropriately support children, they deserve nothing less
than safe and comfortable housing. When
the 84th Legislature convenes in Austin in January 2015, they will
decide important state-wide issues, including agency budgets.
As the costs of providing children under FPS custody
increase, state leaders will be forced to deal with this issue. After all, state budgets reveal our priorities. I remain positive that children removed from
their home for neglect, abuse, and trauma will receive the proper funding for
them to be successful in their lives. ATC is committed to providing every
opportunity for the children enrolled in our programs to learn, play, work, and
live in their community.
