The Arc of Harrisonburg and Rockingham

The Arc works toward community life inclusion and access for people with i/dd. During The pandemic, The Arc pivoted to provide 5,200 hours of virtual services in order to reduce isolation and increase socialization and intellectual stimulation. The Arc provided 14,079 rides and covered 81,703 miles transporting 63 adults with disabilities to/from home and to experience a wide range of community activities. The first 6 months of The year were dramatically impacted by a direct support professional (dsp) workforce shortage. Advocacy efforts facilitated a significant increase in medicaid waiver rates and we were able to increase wages from $12/hour to $15/hour thereby attracting and retaining qualified staff. This enabled us to resume and then exceed pre-pandemic in-person services. Consumers engaged in 4,570 hours of community engagement, 160 hours of community coaching and received 3,229 hours of in-home supports.

Supported in-home and respite care are one-on-one day, evening, and weekend programs which work with individuals on independence goals and outcomes in their own homes and in The community. Families have The opportunity to take a much-needed moment for themselves while their loved one is in The care of a trained professional.

Sparc, community engagement, supports and fosters individuals' abilities to acquire, retain, or improve skills necessary to build positive social behavior, interpersonal competence, greater independence, and employability. Sparc provides a wide variety of opportunities to facilitate and build relationships and natural supports in The community, while utilizing it as a learning environment. Community engagement takes place when events and activities occur naturally: days and evenings, weekdays and weekends. Sparc's "Arc angels" volunteer for bridgewater retirement community, asbury united methodist church, and elkton area community center to name only a few. In total, our individuals volunteered for a total of 4,680 hours for non-profits in our community. However, our primary community service focus addresses food insecurity. The Arc's participants volunteer with hope distributed, salvation army, skyline middle and thomas Harrisonburg school backpack program, meals on wheels, and conduct The Arc's mlk day of service. In all, 2,165 individuals received multiple food boxes, bags and meals thanks to their efforts.

Mobility issues and intellectual difficulties prevent consumers from driving or using other forms of transportation, therefore The Arc provides daily to/from transportation as well as for daily community and volunteer activities. Information and referral services include a series of booklets that walk families and guardians through The lifespan of a person with dd. A community resource guide is a living document and companion to The guides. Our 2022 advocacy platform was successful in: 1) funding 1,200 priority 1 urgent medicaid waiver slots. 2) increasing waiver rates for providers in order to attract and retain direct support professionals 3) furthering inclusive schools and comprehensive family life education and 4) improving The criminal justice system for those with i/dd.