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Community Events
2012-10-03 08:57:25
Financial gifting for those who are disabled
A- People who have disabilities often do receive some type of government support, but it is limited. Alone, that income would have them living far below the poverty line.
Many people with disabilities live in group homes of four or five people. Living with that many roommates helps make housing affordable. Some of the homes may be subsidized, such as HUD housing, which limits the amount someone can pay for rent. Even with subsidized housing, a person whose disability makes it difficult or impossible to find competitive employment, has little money remaining to pay for the expenses of daily life. After utilities, food, etc., it is not uncommon for people with disabilities to have between $30-$50 a month remaining to pay for personal needs such as clothing, personal care items, and maybe some entertainment now and then.
That's where the gifts to organizations can make a difference. Gifts often make the difference for someone to have new clothing when needed, or sometimes even food and daily care items. Gifts also help pay the difference for people who aren't able to live in subsidized housing but still have limited income.
Additionally, many people would not be aware that government funding and insurance often does not cover items such as wheelchairs, incontinence supplies, and adaptive equipment, the types of tools that make daily living easier for people with disabilities. Adaptive equipment might be something like a communications device for people with limited verbal abilities, or a transfer lift to help them move from a bed to a chair. There are also many helpful therapies that are not covered by government funding. Gifts help provide all of those items.
Gifts also help provide services that are not paid by any outside source. Depending upon their disability, a person receives specified numbers of service hours to have people support them with the activities of daily life. But the funding for those service hours doesn't include funding for transportation. Organizations have to maintain fleets of vehicles to get people to and from doctor appointments, church, community activities, family visits, etc. They also must find a way to make the reimbursement funds they receive for services cover staff wages, overhead, transportation, staff benefits, and more.