Nonprofit Talk: Serving people with developmental disabilities throughout the COVID crisis
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Terri Ross is the executive director of Queens Centers for Progress. Photo courtesy of QCP
By Terri Ross, as told to the Eagle
Terri Ross is the executive director of Queens Centers for Progress (QCP) a non-profit organization supporting over 1,500 people with developmental disabilities in Queens. Serving the Queens community since 1950, the agency provides a range of services, including Pre-K services for young children, Clinical assessment and counseling for children and adults, and Day Programs for adults. QCP Pre-vocational program focuses on employment skills for those interested in working, and Supported Employment has helped many individuals with DD to find and maintain meaningful employment. Senior services are available as the individual ages, helping them to maintain the skills they have learned throughout the years. The agency also supports Seventy-eight adults that live in nine group homes throughout Queens County. All of the supports and services help to keep people connected to their community, through employment, volunteer work and community recreation.
How has your organization navigated the pandemic?
As we were hearing stories of COVID-19 spreading toward New York, we began to plan for our agency’s response. We knew we would close our Day, Pre-Vocational, Clinic and Children’s Center, but have to ensure that people living in our residences would be well taken care of. We knew we needed protective gear and incentives to keep staff safely working with our individuals with severe developmental disabilities, many of whom require assistance with feeding and toileting. Social distancing would be extremely difficult. Our wonderful teams kept us going throughout. We organized plans to collect and distribute PPE. Our Maintenance team keeps our buildings clean and in good repair, our IT team distributed computers and our QA team trains and reviews our new COVID protocol as the rest of the staff maintain critical contact with individuals and families. I cannot say enough about the fabulous team we work with! Everyone pulled together and within a few short weeks, we had plans and systems in place to serve our constituents.
How are you now serving your constituents/clients/program participants?
Much of our programming is being done remotely. Our classroom teachers and Day/Vocational Program staff have developed creative teaching groups using Zoom and other platforms to provide education, exercise, music, therapies, counseling, crafts and socialization. Many of our staff volunteer to shop for families who are not able to get out and they deliver meals, necessities and groceries to people all over the borough. Our staff on the front lines are the real heroes; they have been here since the beginning and continue to do their jobs with strength and grace.
Now that New York City is in phase four, we are slowly bringing back small numbers of program staff and participants while maintaining all safety precautions. We continue to provide services remotely to those at home. The problem is that our retainer funding has ceased, and we are limited to how much revenue we can generate with the reduced participation.
How are you balancing the needs of your clients with the level of risk to your employees?
Our Residential programs are congregate care facilities, with six to ten people residing in each home. We provide 24 hour supports, including Direct Service Professionals, Medical and Clinical staff. All staff and residents are provided with PPE, although many of the people we support cannot effectively use it or understand social distancing. Throughout this difficult time, the sacrifices made by our dedicated staff has been incredible. Many of the staff go home after their shifts and return for their next shift. Early on in the pandemic we had quarantined some of our houses, with staff agreeing to remain locked down in the house for a two-week period. Sadly, several of the people we support have succumbed to the virus and a number of staff have been affected. We are happy that we can now allow socially distant visits for our families who have loved ones residing with us, but we are still very cautious and vigilant at not letting the virus back into our homes.
What types of support do you most need now?
We are grateful for the support of our Board, families, local businesses and local politicians, who have provided vital PPE and supplies necessary for the safety of our staff and people we serve. Donations of PPE are vital, as the expense of these purchases, exceeding $300,000, continue to rise. We are in need of new or gently used iPads, chrome-books and other devices to help our individuals connect remotely. We are experiencing huge challenges with NYS funding as we struggle to bring our programs back- donations are crucial at this time.
What programs/services have you had to cut or scale back on, and are there open positions?
We have done our best to keep as many staff employed despite a reduction in some services. We offer positions in our group homes to those whose programs are closed due to Covid-19 or for those who are unable to work from home. We have Direct Support Professional, Residential Supervisors and nursing positions open in the residential program. As we prepare our programs to re-open, we face challenges in our Supported Employment program, which prior to the pandemic saw close to 200 individuals with developmental disabilities employed in the community. Many have lost their jobs through the closing of non-essential businesses.
What do you think the future holds for your sector as a result of the pandemic?
The need for services in the community for people with developmental disabilities will only increase as the “new normal” approaches. The idea that we, or any programs like ours, should be able to sustain draconian cuts to our budgets is absurd and frightening. I am not sure how many community-based organizations can survive and how many jobs will be lost. The nonprofit sector relies on the State and City for funding to help people in the community. We urge our governmental officials to recognize the need and support programs and services like ours.
For more information visit queenscp.org. To donate, text SupportQCP to 71777. To contact QCP call 646-801-8786 or email: wphaff@queenscp.org.
