[NFBMT] Helena Industries

Fri Apr 27 15:17:08 UTC 2018

Today's community-based disability services should be focused on
integration.  Helena Industries is indeed a victim of state budget cuts, but
it's also a victim of increasingly dysfunctional practices that segregate
workers and that pays them sub-minimum wages.  Much of its budget goes
towards the bricks and mortar expenses, in other words, the buildings and
grounds for its sheltered workshop.  Had Helena Industries moved
deliberately to a more modern way of providing services, which is jobs in
the community for comparable wages and advancement opportunities, it may
have survived the current state budget cuts.  I think the closing of Helena
Industries is indeed a tragedy, but the tragedy is that Montana doesn't have
clear leadership and purpose when it comes to the employment of people with
disabilities.  We keep focusing on budgets when the real problem is where we
are going and the best methods of achieving high-quality employment for
people with disabilities.

Jim Marks
Blind.grizzly at gmail.com
(406) 438-1421

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Subject: [NFBMT] Helena Industries

Helena Industries, which serves hundreds of Montanans with disabilities,
will close April 13  

ERIN LORANGER erin.loranger at helenair.com 

Apr 5, 2018

Helena Industries wood shop 

In this IR file photo, Helena Industries employees work in their wood
working shop on Helena Avenue making pallets, sheds and wooden stakes. 

With plans to close its doors on April 13, Helena Industries will lay off
its employees and stop providing services for hundreds of Montanans with
disabilities.

Staff members received a letter Thursday notifying them that the
organization will lay off employees over the next week. The Independent
Record obtained a copy of the letter after Helena Industries closed for the
day and the IR could not immediately reach the CEO for comment. The CEO did
not respond to a request for comment about the future of the organization
earlier this week. 

Helena Industries provides career development services and workforce
programs for people who are developmentally disabled. Those opportunities
include working with textiles and wood products, working in the
organization's thrift store, providing janitorial services and recycling
electronics.

Helena Industries has case management offices in Bozeman, Great Falls, Butte
and Anaconda, and its website says it serves more than 900 people with
disabilities each year. 

But in response to deep state budget cuts caused by lower-than-projected
revenue, the Department of Public Health and Human Services is ending
contracts and reducing rates for providers such as Helena Industries. 

"Due to decisions by the state over the last few months, the current rates
being offered for bid for case management services will not even cover the
costs associated with the case management program," the letter to employees
said.

The money from the state case management program would be nearly half of
what the organization received in the past.

The letter also says participation in the vocational job coaching and
training program has decreased and service rates have gone down 15 to 20
percent.

"With decreases in both of these programs, we cannot support both the debt
load and the remaining programs and we must terminate operations," the
letter said.

Providers, including Helena Industries, said moving away from
community-based care could force clients to go into higher levels of care
and increase levels of institutionalization.

The organization's clients will be transferred to the state.

The letter says the board of directors considered multiple avenues before
deciding to close and will file for bankruptcy protection on April 17. It
warns employees to cash checks by April 16.

(19) COMMENTS 

Apr 7, 2018 8:02am

It should have been considered an emergency need. This is the end of
appropriate care and health services for Montanans with disabilities, and it
is a tragedy. Other expenditures of the state (land purchases) should have
been delayed to keep the system for the disabled in place. Sen. Nancy
Ballance and Rep. Austin Knudsen said they like the cutbacks and feel fine
about them. Bullock should have raised heck about it and considered it an
emergency. Now, disabled adults will lose access to critical services,
including food, housing and other health services that come from effective
case management, making the connections for people in need. I am ashamed of
this state and the GOP leadership who destroyed an effective group of
supports. 

Apr 7, 2018 3:06am

What's going on in Montana? Jon Tester's TV ads say Montanan's help each
other. Apparently Bullock and the legislature missed that. It started by
taking funds away from people on Medicaid and now they're closing Helena
Industries. I recently read the state is going to purchase a parcel of land
for $11,000,000.

That small parcel will benefit a very small portion of our population. Why
not put that money toward Medicaid? Our state is harming the people who need
the most help! It's not just one party but both of them!!!!!!

Apr 6, 2018 1:52pm

  Pretty standard example of how these so-called Christian Republican
legislators treat the least among us. Why again do people continue to vote
for a party bent on destroying communities in the name of "less government"?
WWJW? Remember this in November and vote these sorry excuses for human
beings out.

Apr 6, 2018 12:41pm

The Republican's passed a stupid draconian budget. But let's not forget that
the Governor's budget director is responsible for how the cuts have been
implemented.  Helena Industries is just another casualty in a long list
resulting from bad decisions by Republican legislators, the Governor and the
department of public health and human services. Such a tragedy, services in
Montana will never be the same.

Apr 6, 2018 9:29am

Maybe we should have been working on getting funding for this program
instead of putting in for free Housing for the offenders to live in our
communities...

Apr 6, 2018 9:06am

Republicans are running the show. Put the blame where it belongs. AND, look
around and see what is happening to our great country. It is not good. Once
again, republicans are in charge.

Apr 6, 2018 8:56am

Be sure to thank your Republican lawmakers and "leadership" for another GOP
sponsored closure. 

We all know they don't care about DD, Education, or anyone else but
themselves for that matter. Commentary from them is nothing more than a
smokescreen.  They choose to cut funds or make voters and the governor
choose and lay blame when the shit hits the fan. Successful enterprise's
like this one aren't important to them and now we witness the results. They
fold and shut the doors to the public. 

Buyer Beware.

Apr 6, 2018 8:50am

The state legislature is controlled by Republicans. Expanding Medicaid could
not have happened without Republican votes. Medicaid needed to expand. Of
course some of us don't believe in eugenics. Let the poor people die
mentality is what is considered a sicko. Bullock balanced his budget by
taking Federal Title IV-e money, that was to go to Child and Family Services
(CFS), and SNAP money for food stamps and put it into the General Fund, to
pay for his plane rides to the Paul McCartney concert and campaigning. The
problem is your state legislator voted to give $100,000 of taxpayer money to
Rep. Jennifer Fielder

(R-Thompson Falls) to pay her legal fees for crimes she committed against
taxpayers. The only legislator to vote against giving her the money was Sen.
Mary Caferro (D-Helena). Your legislator is only in Helena to line their
pockets.

Apr 6, 2018 8:29am

Bullock has picked the most helpless people of the state to take out his
vendetta against this state. He ran the money out and blew it. Even the
worst garbage of a human doesn't do this to the HELPLESS??

Apr 6, 2018 6:27am

Since our Governor has messed this up, how about another tax increase?

Apr 6, 2018 8:46am

How did he mess this up. GOP have majorities in both houses and passed a
budget against Bullocks HB2 proposal to find programs. Since when have
GOPers cared for anyone but themselves? 

The DD population deserves better than this. GOPers are accountable for
this.
100%

Apr 5, 2018 10:36pm

Terribly upsetting

Apr 5, 2018 9:12pm

Bullock blew a $400 million surplus by expanding Medicaid for no reason. I'm
sure planned parenthood is fully funded. Sickos

Apr 6, 2018 8:49am

The Medicaid expansion bill in MY was actually proposed by a Republican and
passed by Republican majorities as was the budget. Ask them what happened to
the $300 surplus. Repubs could not sustain it.

Apr 6, 2018 10:44am

Wrong as always...This is the republican legislature led by wingers like
Knudsen (and that dark money creep Wittich) before him putting agenda and
policy before the people of this state and forcing the cuts that are
crippling the state at times...and causing this mess. They blocked even
simple measures - like cigarette taxes and rolling back fat cat tax cuts
given by the Martz admin that have cost MT a billion dollar in revenue in 10
years. While Bullock tried to negotiate they played their favorite hand -
cutting service that people need...and then they use people like to point
fingers as if they didn't force this situation.

Be a man Patrick, quit passing your buck and at least admit you support (and
lie here to protect) the lot that killed the surplus, and forced the across
the board cuts that caused this...anybody who's worked with or been around
HI and it's many folks know that these men and women want to work and be
productive

no matter their disability...it was a great program until the right decided
that they would rather keep huge tax cuts for the rich and put disabled men
and women in the state out of work.

Helena Industries should rename themselves Really Big Out of State Mining
Conglomerate - Knudsen and the wingers would line up to give them tax
holidays, bloated budgets, strip them of any regulations, send them loads of
cash and anything they want...of course, they'd also have their hands out
like beggars.

Apr 5, 2018 8:53pm

Thank a republican is what you do!

Apr 5, 2018 7:47pm

sad!  what do we do now?

Apr 6, 2018 12:17am

Bullock surely knows...? He's done everything to put us in this mess...! 

Apr 6, 2018

Same answer as patty Laine above Dan.

Why don't you righties at least act like men or women and admit that this is
your doing instead of playing playground politics like children. When the
budget revenue dropped because of low energy prices...Bullock went to the
legislature with a plan to raise a sin tax on smoking and roll back tax cuts

given only to the top 10 percent by the martz administration. Those tax cuts
cost the state over a billion in revenue lost over those years. The plan had
cutting, revenue increase and would have balanced the budget, refilled a
budget rainy day fund that the right had drained...and made sense. of course
the

right rejected it out of hand and refused anything but draconian cuts across
the board.

The right refused any consideration or budgets negotiations and forced
across the board cuts...they were in charge and forced those cuts, and
refused to work towards a solution or compromise. And then as the disastrous
cuts began to hit home - they played baby like you and started pointing
fingers. And

when Bullock had to call a special session to deal with the mess they
created
- they still refused to negotiate...and used their time in special session
to write sham laws designed to force the governors hand.

Essentially these are cuts and these poor hard working folk are out of the
street because you and yours would rather make sure the most very rich out
of state trophy ranchers and the fabulously wealthy don't pay a little extra
in taxes...and that smokers can still go on killing themselves at a cheaper
rate
- and sticking the state with the costs of their addiction.

If you are going to support these j-donkeys that care only for the few over
the real people that make up most of this state...then at least be honest
about it by not trying to blame everybody but you and your fellow
republicans in the legislature.

Joy Breslauer, President

National Federation of the Blind of Montana 

Web Site: http://www.nfbofmt.org <http://www.nfbofmt.org/> 

Live the life you want

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want. 

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