Marshall Stark Development Center outlines shift from sheltered workshops to community integration

Marshall Stark Development Center on March 17 told the Marshall County Board of Commissioners it is moving away from sheltered workshop piece-work because of recent minimum-wage and pay-benefit changes and will focus on community integration, life-skills training and pre-vocational supports.

"As of April 1, that will be going away," Jesse Gilley, vice president of mission advancement for Marshall Stark Development Center, said, referring to the sheltered workshops. "We're moving toward what we're calling community integration," he said, describing plans for clients to work in community-facing jobs, volunteer activities and expanded life-skills training.

Gilley said Marshall Stark serves roughly 70 clients in its day program, including 19 residential clients, and serves people across eight counties: Marshall, Stark, Fulton, Pulaski, Lake, La Porte, Kosciusko and St. Joseph. He told commissioners Marshall County is the nonprofit's largest local contributor and that Pulaski and Stark counties also provide funding; not all eight counties currently contribute.

Gilley said the organization will implement quarterly direct-ask appeals for donors and volunteers starting in March and is planning a capital campaign in the next four to five years to renovate or build a larger facility to accommodate growth. He also said Medicaid is the organization's primary funding source and that it plans to build reserve funding in case of state or federal funding changes.

Gilley invited the commissioners to visit the center and asked for continued local support.