Jeff Bowles, co-chair of the developmental disabilities subcommittee, told the Tompkins County Community Services Board that two homes operated by Groton Community Home Healthcare recently closed and that the closures add to a wider countywide shortfall of residential capacity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

"2 houses recently closed that were operated by Groton Community Home Healthcare," Bowles said. "I don't have the specifics. I think it was roughly 10 to 12 beds. With those 10 to 12 beds gone, it's probably around 60 beds total that don't exist in the county as of right now."

The subcommittee said the closures are primarily driven by staff shortages. James Beaumont, co-chair of the developmental disabilities subcommittee, said providers struggle to recruit employees for nights and weekends and cited direct-care wages as part of the problem. "100% staff. Just cannot find people to work. Overnights, weekends, just very, very difficult to find," Beaumont said. He noted that some state-run houses pay "between $23 and $24 an hour" yet still struggle to fill roles in Tompkins County.

The subcommittee described the immediate effects on residents: some people who lived in closed homes were relocated to available beds at other regional providers. Beaumont said one whole house's residents were placed at Racker Center beds in Cortland County, and that Unity House accepted at least one person from Groton's closures. But the committee also said many people were given few choices — either return to family or move to the few available beds across the state system.

Committee members said the closures are part of a trend: several houses run by state and nonprofit providers have suspended services or closed recently, reducing local bed capacity and forcing families to choose between long waits or placements outside Tompkins County. The subcommittee plans a focused meeting on housing the day after the board meeting to review the immediate impact, alternative placements and wait-list implications. Beaumont said the county could see "years" of wait time for people on emergency housing lists.

Subcommittee leaders also discussed other supports that can help mitigate the shortfall, including supported apartments, self-direction funding that allows families to hire one-on-one staff for activities such as camp, assistive technology, and use of other community providers' available beds. Beaumont said OPWDD has provided one-time funding to many agencies in the past year but that wage increases did not always match local cost-of-living pressures. "OPWDD was able to give ... roughly $860,000,000 throughout all volunteer agencies" earlier this year, Beaumont said, noting agencies still struggle to compete with retail employers, Cornell and local colleges.

Board members urged local advocacy, including contacting state legislators and county legislators representing the closed houses, to highlight the problem and press for targeted solutions or funding. The subcommittee also said it will publish and host a consolidated resource list of DD providers online so families can find services outside a single annual resource fair. The board did not take formal action on specific funding or policy changes during the meeting.

Ending: The subcommittee scheduled follow-up briefings and a housing-focused meeting to map immediate placements and to discuss advocacy and longer-term housing strategies for people with developmental disabilities in Tompkins County.