MEDIA ADVISORY/PRESS AVAILABILITY:

Monday, November 25 @ 2:45pm, advocates will gather in front State House Annex in Trenton to ask Governor Murphy to make New Jersey residents with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) a greater priority in his agenda to make New Jersey Stronger and Fairer. It’s time NJ secure competitive wages for direct support professionals (DSPs) by indexing DSP wages. Every time NJ’s minimum wage is increased, DSP wages MUST be increased as well.

When:             Monday, November 25^th  2:45pm—3:15pm

Where:           Steps of New Jersey State House Annex (145 West State Street, Trenton, NJ).

Why:               NJ Coalition for a DSP Living Wage will gather in front of NJ State House Annex to advocate for $16.5 million supplemental FY20 appropriation (plus $16.5 million federal match) and an additional $16.5 million appropriation in FY21 (plus $16.5 million federal match) to secure competitive wages for DSPs that reflect the skill, training and responsibility required for the complex and demanding work.

Who:              Members of the Coalition: Individuals with I/DD, their families, DSPs, and community providers and advocacy organizations such as The New Jersey Association of Community Providers, The Arc of New Jersey, Autism New Jersey, and the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities.

The Direct Support Professional (DSP) workforce that serves individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) under the Division of Developmental Disabilities is in crisis with nearly 30% vacancy and 44% turnover rates because DSP wages are not proportional to the responsibility and skill required to do the job. At an average starting salary of just $12 per hour, DSP wages are simply not competitive. It is very challenging to hire and retain staff and it’s only getting harder with an increasing number of retailers paying $15-18 per hour and New Jersey’s minimum wage on a path to $15 per hour for entry-level jobs that are far less demanding. The worsening DSP shortage is threatening the safety and health of individuals with I/DD disabilities living in community-settings.

Raising New Jersey’s minimum wage was the right thing to do, but DSPs are far from minimum wage workers. They cannot be left behind. In order to stay competitive, and to maintain a workforce for individuals with I/DD, the starting wage for DSPs must go up by 10% (to mirror the 10% increase in New Jersey’s minimum wage to $11 p/h on January 1, 2020). That equals a $1.20 an hour increase for all DSPs supporting adults with I/DD.  A $16.5 million supplemental appropriation (plus $16.5 million federal match) in FY20 is needed to achieve this DSP wage increase. In FY21, the Coalition is seeking an additional $16.5 million in state funding (plus $16.5 million federal match) to raise DSP salaries to accommodate the next increase to the minimum wage on January 1, 2021 to $12 p/h.

Members of the Coalition, including Chair Valerie Sellers, President/CEO of the New Jersey Association of Community Providers along with other leaders from advocacy organizations, individuals with I/DD, family members and DSPs will be providing remarks on the critical need to index DSP wages.