As president of the board of Via of the Lehigh Valley, I want to echo Gary Blumenthal’s recent op-ed asking Gov. Wolf and the General Assembly to aid the disability community by using American Rescue Plan dollars to support essential workers in jobs serving the most vulnerable among us.
Our direct support professionals are the reason people with developmental and intellectual disabilities can live in their own homes or supported living while enjoying being part of our community. During the pandemic those workers put their lives at risk to provide vital services to the people they support.
For years, the wages of direct support professionals remained low because of inadequate state payments to organizations such as Via. Via has made every effort to increase wages for direct support professionals and will continue to do so.
We appreciate the community support we receive, but it isn’t enough to keep pace with the needs of our workforce, especially when we compete with other local businesses, like warehouses, that can provide higher wages.
If Gov. Wolf and our Legislature do not act, who will care for our most vulnerable now and in the future?
Gerry Somers
East Allen Township
