Star Tribune Quotes Hewitt on Group Homes and Community Living

Wed Dec 11 2019
"Hidden in the Shadows" Close up of a woman wearing glasses and wiping tears away.

The Star Tribune quoted ICI director Amy Hewitt in "Hidden in the Shadows."  The newspaper reports that most of Minnesota's funding for people with disabilities goes to the state's numerous—but short-staffed—group homes. Staff shortages mean that people residing in group homes often don't receive the individualized care and support they were promised, and the state rarely inspects these homes. While Hewitt acknowledges in the article that many people with disabilities still love their group homes, she notes that the state's sheer number of group homes has discouraged more creative options, such as Minnesotans with disabilities using, or even knowing about, public funds that would allow them to be included as members of their communities.