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Families urge lawmaker intervention as Desert Regional Center budget uncertainty threatens 'Betty's Village' independent homes
Summary
Parents and guardians told lawmakers that Desert Regional Center budget shortfalls and proposed service changes risk forcing residents out of one- and two-bedroom independent supported living arrangements at Betty's Village, which families say provide critical stability and safety.
Family members and guardians of Desert Regional Center (DRC) clients urged legislators to preserve funding for 1- and 2-bedroom independent supported living arrangements (ISLAs) at Betty's Village and across the state during public comment to the Legislative Commissions Budget Subcommittee.
Carol Matrone, whose adult daughter Maria lives at Betty's Village, told the panel Maria "has not only been happiest she's ever been, but she is thriving." Matrone said DRC had told families it might not renew leases in some 1-bedroom ISLAs and that residents could be moved into larger 3- or 4-bedroom group homes. "Watching our loved ones and community crumble is something I never thought I'd see," Matrone said.
Other guardians and parents described similar concerns. Jodi Collins and Chrissy Costanza, among other speakers, said residents at Betty's Village had stable routines and peer communities that improved their well-being. Several commented the state had previously placed some residents in unsafe group homes and that a return to larger shared placements could retraumatize individuals who had finally gained stability.
Speakers asked lawmakers to protect funding and to consider grandfathering existing residents into their ISLAs if the DRC budget cannot sustain new or ongoing leases. Family members also raised concerns about an earlier DRC pause on processing new service referrals and asked for clarity on how DRC is making placement decisions.
In response during the hearing, DRC administrator Marla McDade Williams said the department is working with county partners and provider contracts to preserve services. She said some Clark County facilities had been leased and sub-granted and that Clark County had committed to expanding in-state services to cover needs, and that no resident would be moved until a safe placement was available. "Nobody will be moved from the facility until there is a location to move them to," she said.
DRC officials repeated that service and fiscal trade-offs are constrained by current agency budgets and by broader DHHS funding pressure. Several lawmakers flagged the issue for follow-up budget and policy hearings.
Ending: Families asked the subcommittee to prioritize DRC funding and urged lawmakers to ensure that existing residents are not forced into larger group homes when safer, smaller ISLA placements provide better outcomes.
