[NFBMT] Helena Industries

Fri Apr 27 16:24:10 UTC 2018

The reporter missed something there, or cut it out -

"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.

Just what is the *debt load*? Why would a nonprofit have a debt load?
Dan

On 4/27/18, Jim Marks via NFBMT <nfbmt at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 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
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NFBMT [mailto:nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of BRESLAUERS via
> NFBMT
> Sent: Friday, April 27, 2018 8:16 AM
> To: nfbmt <nfbmt at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: BRESLAUERS <breslauerj at gmail.com>
> 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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-- 
Dan Burke
President, NFB of Denver

"Blindness is not what holds you back.  You can live the life you want!"
My Cell:  406.546.8546
Twitter:  @DallDonal