Finance Committee Agenda and Packet 2018 11 19

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ACL)} Kevin Watson Grant Review Committee 749 Main Street Louisville, CO 80027 ASSOCIATIOiN FOR COMMUNITY LIVING The Arc Serving Boulder cC Broorn/ield Counties July 11, 2018 Dear Grant Review Committee, The Association for Community Living greatly appreciates your previous support. We understand that the City of Louisville supports organizations that ensure a safety net for area residents. The ACL's mission promotes inclusion of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) in our community and provides advocacy when there are barriers to resource access. We would like to take this opportunity to respectively request $1,000 for General Operating Support. For over 50 years, we have served people with IDD, in Boulder and Broomfield Counties, who, because of their disability, face barriers daily when trying to access system services and their community. The people we serve tell us they want to make their own decisions and live self -determined lives. They want to be able to direct their resources and use them as flexibly as possible. They are asking for their voice to be heard when decisions are made about their lives. People with IDD have a higher risk of maltreatment, abuse, neglect, isolation, poverty and have less opportunity for stable employment and housing. While the need for publicly funded services increases funding for these services decreases. Due to these reductions in funding there are wait lists for system services. Reductions in services to people receiving Medicaid is a significant trend. The systems serving people with IDD are changing from the top down which creates higher demand for advocacy to navigate the system changes. Our responsiveness to systems change allows us to be uniquely qualified to anticipate the unintended consequences that impact the people we serve when changes in large systems trickle down to the local level. We are intricately connected to community resources and government service agencies and our highly experienced advocates eliminate the barriers people with IDD face accessing the resources that are available and that they are entitled to. Our programs success shows that the ACL's impact is a good return on investment. We are moving vulnerable people towards greater stability and removing the barriers that prohibit community involvement. Our work is making a difference in our community. We are seeing an increase in demand for both advocacy and training that exceeds our capacity. Your grant contribution makes a distinct impact on our ability achieve our mission. We look forward to continuing to work together. Please feel free to call me at 303-527-0888 or email kde4raffa aclboulder.org if you have any questions. Thank you for your consideration, Ailsa Wonnacott Executive Director Kimberly DeGraff Development Director ACL Atlas Valley 2770 Dagny Way, Suite 202 Lafayette, CO 80026 303.527.0888 www.aclboulder.org «_«W.lacebook.com.aclboulder intbfiiaclboulder.oru 12