KOLKHORST FIGHTING CLOSURE OF BRENHAM STATE SUPPORTED LIVING CENTER

  

State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst is speaking out against new proposals that would shut down the Brenham State Supported Living Center.

The proposal came from the Sunset Commission, which recommended the shut down of six of the 13 state supported living centers, for the intellectually disabled.

The Brenham Republican submitted testimony before the Sunset Commission challenging their findings that there are better ways to take care of these clients.   Read her testimony here .

The Sunset Commission staff report suggests shuttering almost half of the centers across the state.  The report was released on June 24th and 25th.  The report also included testimony that overwhelmingly opposed the closure plan.  Parents, guardians and advocates for the state supported living center dominated the meeting’s public testimony, speaking in favore of keeping all of the facilities open.

Kolkhorst is a former member of the Sunset Commission but she challenged the reports financial methodology, which compares the larger range of options found in state supported living center with much smaller group homes, which she says have historically been less regulated and in some local areas are reliant upon local police for security measures.

The report suggests increasing funds for the less regulated group homes.

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8 Comments

  1. I have a loved one who lives at the El Paso sslc since 1978. Our parents put him there. This is his home. He would not survive on the outside. It was tried in 1987 and he ran away.

  2. Way to go Ms Kolkhorst. The group homes have always been a bad idea. If you want to see just ask someone where one is and I promise you can drive by and see the caretakers hanging around outside doing nothing or smoking or meeting someone in the driveway or street. No supervision no structure.

  3. Thank you Lois,

    Someone needs to protect the rights of the residents who do not have a voice. Thank you for giving them one. Also want to think about the many employees and volunteers who are dedicated to the residents care.

    Tom Schoenvogel

  4. It’s wrong to move all those people from their home where they are comfortable & safe! They have doctor’s, nurses, direct care professionals to assist the individusl’s in all their daily activities! The people that want these schools closed need to understand some of these people have lived there many years, some have no family, no guardian or a place to go. BSSLC is their home, for some it’s the only thing know! The individual’s that live there are amazing I can’t imagine how some of them would function in a new environment! There are a lot of positive & good things at BSSLC! I can only hope BSSLC remains open to serve our intellectually disabled person’s BSSLC is their home a part of our community!

    1. You guys know nothing unless you worked or have worked at BSSLC cause there is many problems! Carol you say comfortable & safe well that’s a joke and as far as the doctor’s when they get state inspections the number one spot of failures is in that area! I quick working there about 3 months ago and why because of the way we the staff get treated, inconsistency, lack of communication and how are we suppose to treat others when we get treated like trash! Everyone has been defending the BSSLC instead of trying to fix the problems and when staff trys to talk to anyone in the Administration Office you get the door shut in your face! I consider myself a very good worker and really care for the individuals and was not there just for a pay check! I do have a sister that lives in a local group home and she is taking care of very well and the staff there is awesome! I don’t want to see people lose their jobs but if it remains open it needs many changes! Blessing to all!

  5. I too agree with Representative Kolkhorst and would like to thank her for standing up for not only the rights of the individuals that live at the SSLC’s but also their families. I also agree with the comment that County Resident made about taking a tour of BSSLC to see the quality of life provided the residents. Many of the residents have been at their particular SSLC for so many years and this is HOME to them. Group homes may be nice for some individuals, but the majority of the individuals at BSSLC and I am sure the other SSLC’s cannot and would not get the care they are entitled to. Thank you again Rep. Kolkhorst for showing “the other side of the coin.”

  6. I agree with Representative Kolkhorst in her misgivings about the closures of the SSLCs. Many of the group homes are not regulated as closely as the centers and a lot of abuse and neglect go un-reported. I too believe that there is a huge lobby effort to get them closed down. Many of the residents will not survive outside of the centers-they are prime candidates for abuse, neglect and exploitation. Perhaps if the money they want to put into group homes would go into better paying the staff, it would make the centers an even better place to work and a better living place for the residents. I encourage everyone to go to the Brenham State Supported Living Center and take a tour to see exactly how these residents live and the quality of life they have. Gone are the days of white sterile walls and ammonia smells. The homes have better furniture than I mayself have in my own home and the activities that the residents get to do is far and above any that they would get to do in a group home.

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