Parents of children with developmental disabilities fear the unexpected and potentially imminent elimination of a Washington state support program they’ve come to depend on.
As the state deals with budget troubles, Washington officials say the Parent to Parent program’s future isn’t guaranteed past August.
Parent to Parent provides support and resources for families of children with autism and other developmental disabilities. The program’s name comes from its pairing of newer parents with more experienced ones to help guide them through the complicated system of resources, as well as provide support and community. It also features “sibshops” to support siblings of people with developmental disabilities.
The first Parent to Parent program in Washington was established in 1980 in King County. Today, it serves families of children and adults in all of Washington’s 39 counties, with tens of thousands of calls and emails for assistance every year.
Parents believe the program, costing about $900,000 a year, is invaluable, and can’t be replicated or recreated if state funding disappears.
“We fill in the gaps for areas where government really can’t provide this kind of support,” said Stacy Dym, executive director of The Arc of Washington State, an organization advocating for people with developmental disabilities. The Arc oversees the statewide program under a contract with the state Department of Social and Health Services.
‘Completely taken aback’
This comes as Gov. Bob Ferguson has pledged not to propose tax increases in his two-year budget proposal later this year. Instead, the first-term Democrat says he’ll rely on cuts as the state faces another, potential multibillion-dollar shortfall. He has specifically cited programs created or expanded after 2019 as possible targets for reductions. Lawmakers will pass a new budget working off the governor’s blueprint next year.
Parent to Parent received funding in the current budget. But advocates are worried the Department of Social and Health Services is letting contracts lapse, trying to get ahead of budget talks. Dym was “completely taken aback.”
“It’s destructive, and it doesn’t make a lot of sense, and probably would cost more to rebuild the infrastructure,” said Cathy Murahashi, advocacy and policy specialist at The Arc.
Agency spokesperson Jessica Nelson said “no funding decisions have been made for Parent to Parent or any other DSHS program.”
“Budget conversations are ongoing and must consider our state and federal funding,” Nelson said in an email. “Our goal is to meet the challenge of the moment in a way that sustainably protects core services and ensures that Washington has a solid financial foundation for the long-term.”
She said the agency doesn’t have a timeline for a decision on the future of Parent to Parent, but the program’s contract only runs through August. Initially, it was only through July, but state officials extended it another month.
Dym is frustrated with the process, as usually decisions on spending cuts are subject to public hearings in the Legislature.
“We didn’t get any of that notice,” she said. “We just got told that the contract is under review, and there’s a good chance it won’t be renewed. “
‘It’s everything to our family’
Jenna Vogel first encountered the program at a “breaking point” when her son, Jonah, was 2 years old. Jonah has Level 2 autism and complications from being born premature. Unable to find support for her child, she felt she was failing. Vogel’s husband was working extra hours, as she left her job.
Parent to Parent, which Vogel accessed through Children’s Village in Yakima, made her feel for the first time her family wasn’t alone.
“They understand everything that you’re going through, the grief and the joy that exists in every day, and they walk through it with you,” Vogel said. “It’s everything to our family.”
Services the program can connect parents to include therapies, doctors to get an official diagnosis, caregiving, educational and employment help, Social Security support for people with disabilities, and other safety net resources.
Vogel, for example, was able to get caregiving services for Jonah, now 7. After leaving her career as an accountant, helping connect families to Parent to Parent has become her purpose. Its end is unimaginable, she said.
Parent support groups have also been helpful for Claudia Ramirez, whose 9-year-old son has autism. Like Vogel, she felt isolated, like no one understood what she was going through. Hearing from parents with similar experiences made her feel seen. They’ve become her best friends.
“We hang out and we talk and there’s no judgment,” Ramirez said. “I tell my husband ‘I don’t have friends that don’t have kids with disabilities’ because I don’t feel comfortable, because they don’t understand.”
Without Parent to Parent, families will still need services, but it’ll just be harder to find them, advocates say.
“You can cut us,” Dym said, “but the people and the issues and concerns they have don’t go away.”
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