For Immediate Release: Monday, September 12, 2016
Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children
Honors
Montgomery County Councilmembers for their Commitment to Residents with Autism
September 15 ‘CSAAC’ Awards Ceremony salutes Councilmembers for supplementing wages of employees assisting developmentally disabled individuals
ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 12, 2016—Community Services for Autistic Adults (CSAAC) will honor all members of the Montgomery County Council for their ongoing efforts to support residents with autism, their families and their health and human services providers. CSAAC will hold a special awards ceremony for Councilmembers on Thursday, September 15 at 6 p.m. at The Jane Salzano Center for Autism, which is located at 8615 East Village Ave., Montgomery Village, Md.
In addition to recognizing the work of the Council, the awards ceremony will include successful life stories about the individuals the organization serves and the caring staff members who support them.
The Montgomery County Council allocated $299 million to the Department of Health and Human Services in the County’s Fiscal Year 2017 Operating Budget. As part of this appropriation, the Council provided $2.15 million for supplemental wages to employees assisting developmentally disabled individuals bringing this total allocation to $13.8 million. Additional County resources were essential this year because the reimbursement rate service providers receive from the State of Maryland did not allow for competitive wages for those who do extremely demanding and rewarding work in service to others.
“Employees who serve people with developmental disabilities deserve fair wages for the extremely important and demanding work they do,” said Council President Nancy Floreen. “These workers make our community a better place to live and grow, and I’m pleased the Council included the supplement in this year’s budget.”
As Montgomery County’s non-profit service provider for autistic adults and children, CSAAC has a staff of 630 employees, 540 of whom provide direct support to County residents. The mission of the organization is to enable individuals with autism to achieve their highest potential and contribute as confident members of their community.
“One of the best parts of my job as a Councilmember is being able to make a difference in the lives of individuals who need it the most,” said Councilmember Nancy Navarro, who serves as Chair of the Council’s Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee. “I pushed to include these additional resources in the budget for our residents with autism, their families and CSAAC because these service providers have incredibly meaningful and challenging jobs. I can think of no better use of resources than helping individuals with special needs achieve their full potential.”
CSAAC is a nationally recognized leader in developing state-of-the-art services for people with autism and serves as a model for other agencies developing community-based housing, employment, educational and early intervention services. CSAAC’s Supported Employment program was the first of its kind in the U.S and, today, enables many CSAAC individuals to perform jobs within the community and at over 60 different employment locations.
“Residents with developmental disabilities, and those who love them, need and deserve a government on their side," said Councilmember George Leventhal, who serves as the chair of the Council’s Health and Human Services Committee. “At a time when budgets are tight, I am proud that the Council moved to help those who take care of some of the County’s most vulnerable residents. The County is fortunate to have a strong non-profit community, and CSAAC represents the very best of this community.”
Each day, CSAAC provides services to approximately 300 individuals diagnosed with autism. The organization has clients a young as 18 months and provides services to individuals through retirement age.
For more information about CSAAC visit: http://csaac.org .
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Release ID: 16-269