Happy Holidays from the Disabilities Network of Eastern Connecticut. Just a reminder: the office will close early on the 21st of December so that we may have our annual holiday lunch. The office will reopen on Monday the 24th for a half day, close for the 25th, and reopen for regular hours on the 26th.
This time of year, we ask you to please call before you come to make sure that the office is open, and that there is someone here to assist you. This is especially true on days when the weather is bad, or is expected to be bad. We will close the office for the safety of our staff and consumers in case of poor weather.
Our annual food drive has concluded, and though we are exhausted from the work, we are thrilled that we were able to hand out 53 food baskets which will provide holiday meals to families with disabilities who are in need this season. We thank everyone for their assistance in this project, especially the Wal-mart Super Center in Waterford, which was instrumental in helping us pull off our plan. The day we did our shopping, they provided us with people to assist us, they opened a register for us, and helped us load the groceries into the cars. We had five baskets, and could not have done it ourselves! They also supplied us with fifty dollars worth of free groceries! Thanks guys! We appreciate all of your hardwork, and your dedication to the community!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Point in Time Count
On December 30th, Brynn Hickey and her husband, as well as many other volunteers and board members, will be taking part in the annual Point in Time Count of Homeless individuals in New London County. This is a very important fact finding event which will provide much needed data to organizations, state officials, and lawmakers about people who are homeless in our area. This is also a very important outreach activity which we take part in annually. If you would like to volunteer your time for this event, please call Brynn or Jodi at 860-823-1898!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Open House
The DNEC open house was very nice, and we are all very grateful to the legislators who dropped in to see us.Edith Prague, Kevin Ryan, and Tom Reynolds came by to wish us well. Their commitment to their community and their constituents is laudable. We were so glad to see them.
Coming up in the next couple of weeks: Holiday food baskets are going to be put together for pick up beginning next week (12/17). Also, the office will be closing early on December 21st for the holiday. We work half the day on the 24th and 31st, and are closed on the 25th and the 1st of January.
Coming up in the next couple of weeks: Holiday food baskets are going to be put together for pick up beginning next week (12/17). Also, the office will be closing early on December 21st for the holiday. We work half the day on the 24th and 31st, and are closed on the 25th and the 1st of January.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Upcoming Events
This Friday, come to our 4th annual open house held at our office from 12-3. This year is the first year we are partnering with American School for the Deaf and CRIS Radio to hold a joint event. ASD will be offering free hearing tests, and refreshments will be served. If you stop by, you may also want to bring a non-perishable food item for our food drive.
We are still taking applications for holiday food baskets! Call today-- 860-823-1898!
On January 7th, DNEC is hosting Norwich Nights at the Otis Library from 6-7:30. This month we will be discussing the powerful book "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kessey. Call for more information!
We are still taking applications for holiday food baskets! Call today-- 860-823-1898!
On January 7th, DNEC is hosting Norwich Nights at the Otis Library from 6-7:30. This month we will be discussing the powerful book "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kessey. Call for more information!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Money Follows the Person
This past year, 31 grants were awarded 31 states, including Connecticut, that submitted proposals for federal grant money for deinstitutionalization. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), of the Department of Health & Human Services, awarded $1,435,709,479 in Money Follows the Person (MFP) Rebalancing Demonstration grants to states proposing to transition 37,731 individuals out of institutional settings over the five-year demonstration period.
The Centers for Independent Living, of which DNEC is one, will partner with the Area Agencies on Aging, including Senior Resources in Norwich, to move people from nursing homes and certain other institutions into community settings. This demonstration grant was enacted by the federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, in recognition of the fact that, in addition to being a much better way of life for persons with disabilities, community services and supports are in fact a less expensive way to serve people than nursing homes and other institutions.
States must also guarantee "maintenance of effort", which means that after the five-year period is over, states must continue to spend at least as much as they spent in 2005. When the grant begins (delays on the federal level have made the starting date uncertain), much of the money will be used to create the necessary changes in the community so that maintenance of community services can continue beyond the grant period. Much of this change has already occurred as a result of the Nursing Facilities Transition Project, which will be rolled over into the MFP grant.
As you know, lack of availability of homes in the community is a huge barrier to getting people out of institutions. In October of 2006, Secretary Alphonso Jackson of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sent a letter to Public Housing Authorities and State Housing Finance Agencies informing them that the MFP initiative provides an opportunity for them to collaborate with CMS and local disability organizations to expand accessible, affordable, and integrated housing options (by the use of public housing and housing vouchers) for persons with disabilities and seniors. Jackson added, "Such promotion would allow both the Department and PHAs [Public Housing Authorities], as recipients of federal financial assistance, to meet, in part, our obligations under the Supreme Court Olmstead decision, to allow services to be provided in the most integrated settings".
DNEC eagerly awaits the commencement of this program. We'll keep you posted!
The Centers for Independent Living, of which DNEC is one, will partner with the Area Agencies on Aging, including Senior Resources in Norwich, to move people from nursing homes and certain other institutions into community settings. This demonstration grant was enacted by the federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, in recognition of the fact that, in addition to being a much better way of life for persons with disabilities, community services and supports are in fact a less expensive way to serve people than nursing homes and other institutions.
States must also guarantee "maintenance of effort", which means that after the five-year period is over, states must continue to spend at least as much as they spent in 2005. When the grant begins (delays on the federal level have made the starting date uncertain), much of the money will be used to create the necessary changes in the community so that maintenance of community services can continue beyond the grant period. Much of this change has already occurred as a result of the Nursing Facilities Transition Project, which will be rolled over into the MFP grant.
As you know, lack of availability of homes in the community is a huge barrier to getting people out of institutions. In October of 2006, Secretary Alphonso Jackson of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sent a letter to Public Housing Authorities and State Housing Finance Agencies informing them that the MFP initiative provides an opportunity for them to collaborate with CMS and local disability organizations to expand accessible, affordable, and integrated housing options (by the use of public housing and housing vouchers) for persons with disabilities and seniors. Jackson added, "Such promotion would allow both the Department and PHAs [Public Housing Authorities], as recipients of federal financial assistance, to meet, in part, our obligations under the Supreme Court Olmstead decision, to allow services to be provided in the most integrated settings".
DNEC eagerly awaits the commencement of this program. We'll keep you posted!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Food Drive
DNEC is holding our annual food drive to create holiday baskets for individuals with disabilities and their families! You can help. We are accepting donations of gift cards, non-perishable food items, and cash to assist us in getting 50 holiday food baskets out to individuals and families who are in need this holiday season. If you want to know other ways you can help, please call us at 860-823-1898!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
CRIS
DNEC is thrilled to announce our new partnership with CRIS Radio! They will be using some space in our facility as a broadcasting studio to broadcast the news to individuals who are blind in our area. Twice a day, the volunteers for CRIS read the local newspaper over the radio including advertisements and public service announcements! This is a wonderful addition to our office and makes a great partnership.
The DNEC Flea Market
The Flea Market is coming up very soon, and we have LOTS of vendors signed up. September 16th is the big day, starting at 10 am. At the DNEC 4th annual Flea Market and Community Awareness Fair you will find:
Food, Clowns, Tarot Readings, antiques, collectibles, the D.A.R.E. car, hearing tests, housewares, candles, balloons and candy for the kids, Silent Auctions, Raffles, FREE DRAWINGS and much, much more....
Here is a list of some of our vendors that you might recognize:
Tastefully Simple, American Dolls, PartyLite Candles, Kettle Corn, Sky Wolf Images, Naughty Nighties, ASD, Senior Resources, TVCCA, Norwich Police Department, Access to Health, CCCI, and many more!
We hope to see you there! Remember, September 16th at 238 West Town St. Norwich with a rain date of September 23rd!
Food, Clowns, Tarot Readings, antiques, collectibles, the D.A.R.E. car, hearing tests, housewares, candles, balloons and candy for the kids, Silent Auctions, Raffles, FREE DRAWINGS and much, much more....
Here is a list of some of our vendors that you might recognize:
Tastefully Simple, American Dolls, PartyLite Candles, Kettle Corn, Sky Wolf Images, Naughty Nighties, ASD, Senior Resources, TVCCA, Norwich Police Department, Access to Health, CCCI, and many more!
We hope to see you there! Remember, September 16th at 238 West Town St. Norwich with a rain date of September 23rd!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Community Garden
The Community Garden is growing! This is the third year for the garden, and we are all very proud of it. The garden provides an opportunity to get your hands dirty in a fun social setting.
Sage says "This outdoor classroom will either reinforce your very own gardening skills or it'll teach you the skills you need to grow something mighty and solid from a small seed."
Upcoming gardening days are June 22, July 20, and August 24th from 11:30 to 3:30. Sage would appreciate a call to "reserve your garden tool". (860)823-1898
We hope to see you there!
Sage says "This outdoor classroom will either reinforce your very own gardening skills or it'll teach you the skills you need to grow something mighty and solid from a small seed."
Upcoming gardening days are June 22, July 20, and August 24th from 11:30 to 3:30. Sage would appreciate a call to "reserve your garden tool". (860)823-1898
We hope to see you there!
Week of July 1 through July 7
To keep all readers apprised of the current happenings here at DNEC, we want to let everyone know that DNEC staff will not be readily available to take phone calls or see consumers during the week of July 1st through the 7th. All staff will be checking voicemail in case of emergencies though so feel free to call.
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