Friends and neighbors,
Minnesota has a resource that most people have never heard of called Family Residential Services, or FRS. I know it probably sounds like a mouthful of government jargon, but it is actually one of the most personal ways we care for people with disabilities.
When we think about caring for vulnerable people, we often think of a setting like a group home or nursing home (both of which are valuable, don’t get me wrong). Family Residential Services, on the other hand, take place in someone’s home. Imagine a person with a significant disability living in a regular house with a foster family that loves them. The providers live alongside the people they care for, often for years or decades. These folks become family. They share meals, they celebrate birthdays, and they provide 24/7 support.
Right now, the Family Residential Service model is on the brink of a full-blown crisis.
Back in 2023, the legislature completely changed how these families get paid. Instead of providing funding based on the need of the patient, the legislature switched payments to a "flat rate" system that sounds efficient on paper but in the real world is shaping up to be a disaster. For many of these homes, it meant a massive funding cut -- 67%, in some cases. Imagine trying to keep your home and provide round-the-clock care for a vulnerable person while your income is cut in half or more.
The results have been heartbreaking. Since last fall, dozens of these homes have already closed. Dozens of children have been displaced from the only homes they have ever known. Some have ended up in crisis care or hospitals because there was nowhere else for them to go. I’ve talked to some of these folks personally, and I can tell you, it is a dire situation they are in.
More closures are coming if we don’t act. One expert has said we could lose 80% of these homes. Not only is that devastating for the people involved, it also costs the state way more money than just supporting them in a family home.
I’ve been working on this issue for about a year now, and I’m proud to say I finally have good news to report: I successfully added an amendment to the Senate’s human services bill on May 6 that will begin the process of fixing this mess. It’s not over the finish line yet, but my proposal had overwhelming bipartisan support, so I am encouraged.
I’ll be up front, my amendment isn't a permanent fix. It’s better to think of it as a bridge or a band-aid --- something to help these providers survive another year while we work on a better long-term answer. My amendment raises the daily rates for those taking care of the most complex cases and adds extra support for those caring for children. It’s not what many of us hoped for, but it’s enough to keep the doors open.
I have spent a lot of time talking to folks on both sides of the aisle about this over the last year. The issue is incredibly complicated, but once people understand that we are talking about human beings losing their families and their homes, people become invested. We might disagree on a lot of things in St. Paul, but one thing we agree on is that we have to take care of the people who can't even come to the Capitol to speak out for themselves.
As I said, we still have work to do, but this amendment is a huge step in the right direction. It’s about doing the right thing for our neighbors who need us most and making sure the door stays open for the families who care for them.
Sincerely,