June 26, 2007
The Honorable Deval Patrick
Governor of Massachusetts
State House
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Governor Patrick:
The members of the United Disability Housing Partnership were pleased to hear your position regarding the closure of the Fernald Development Center as expressed in your recent brief to US Attorney Michael Sullivan. We applaud your view that the state should have the authority to close the Fernald; however we urge you to move further and call for a timely closure of the facility. We believe that closure is in the best interest of the individuals currently residing at Fernald as well as being cost-effective for the Commonwealth.
Since the 1970s, Massachusetts has systematically moved away from an institutional model to address the housing and supportive service needs of persons with disabilities. Experience has demonstrated that as people move from institutions into community-based settings they make remarkable strides and are able to lead increasingly independent lives.
However, for the people currently living at Fernald, there is little opportunity for independence and integration into the community. Furthermore, keeping Fernald operational requires financial resources that could be better utilized serving housing and service needs of people with developmental disabilities living in the community.
United Housing is a cross-disability advocacy coalition dedicated to expanding housing opportunities for low income and homeless persons living with disabilities. United Housing's 62 member organizations represent well over 250,000 individuals with disabilities from across Massachusetts.
On behalf of the more than 30,000 persons living with developmental disabilities in Massachusetts who are eligible to receive services from DMR, including those living within the Fernald institution – and the tens of thousands of others who are not able to be served by DMR, we appreciate the opportunity to provide you with these comments.
If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact Matt Noyes at 617-927-0088 x26 or mnoyes
ahc.org.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned Members of United Disability Housing Partnership