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I am a peer specialist for the Urban Justice Center working on the DA vs. Pataki Litigation. In the month of June I gave testimony at two hearings. The first being the New York State Assembly hearing on restructuring the delivery of mental hygiene services in New York State, the second one being the New York State OMHY 2005-2009 Comprehensive Plan for Mental Health Services.

At both hearings I pointed out how the services given to adult home residents are being affected by a conflict of interest. The services being given are at the mercy of the adult homes themselves. The [health and mental health] service providers do not want to make the operators angry with them so they do not always help their residents as much as possible. They fear that the operator may want to change providers or rent their space to a different provider.

I also pointed out that OMH had a list of 19 adult homes listed as impacted due to large amounts of adult home residents with psychiatric disabilities. Of these 19 homes, only four have gone with independent case management, a state-funded initiative that would provide more case workers in the homes, leaving 80% of the residents of the 19 homes without independent case management. This is not good for the adult home residents who need as much help as possible, not just the help that the homes will allow their residents to get.

Another important issue is the summer heat and humidity that can take a toll on adult home residents every summer. There are people who have heart problems, respiratory problems, high blood pressure, people who take many prescription medications for the above problems plus those who have thyroid problems and diabetes as well. They may be on psychotropic medication that lowers their bodies’ ability to cope with the heat and humidity. These people are adult home residents. Should it matter what label is put on people like “adult home resident?” Or should it only matter that the air-conditioning they need is very important to improve their well being and keep them from unnecessary emergency room visits that cost a lot of money as well as physical damage done by heat-related illnesses?

Because of this, CIAD is having air-conditioning meetings in Brooklyn and Queens to bring together adult home residents, advocates, and legislators, to talk about how to solve the problem of providing air-conditioning for the adult home residents in New York City.

We need to see adult home residents as being people like everybody else. The reason that many of the residents of the adult homes are where they are could happen [to anyone].