When he’s not leading his gospel music group, Isaac Brown works 16-hour shifts at the Arc of Alachua County, a community care provider for people with developmental disabilities.
Brown, 36, of Gainesville, is a DSP, or direct support professional, whose responsibilities range from helping patients get dressed to administering seizure medication to office work.
“Your heart has to be in it in order to get the job done,” said Brown, who has two relatives with disabilities. “If you’re just looking for a paycheck, this is not a job or profession for you.”
DSPs are in demand across the country – and so Brown works 90-100 hours each week for about $12 an hour. Inadequate government funding, the Florida minimum wage increase and stressors related to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to the shortage.
The Arc of Alachua County is short 69 DSPs and is running an $11 million budget deficit – its largest in its 55-year history, according to a top organization official.
Advocates across Florida say it’s the worst such shortage statewide in recent memory.
On Nov. 4, the Florida Legislature’s Joint Budget Commission approved $1.2 billion requested by the governor’s office for home and community-based healthcare providers.
State Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, who sits on the budget committee, told the commission that this money is primarily for “providers who are struggling right now.” It will also include bonuses for employees who now make little more than minimum wage, Bean said.
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