Here is a portion of my written testimony before the House Appropriations Human
Services Committee.

Read entire testimony.

Tony

THE COST OF INSTITUTIONALIZATION

The true cost of institutionalizing an individual with intellectual and other developmental
disabilities is the damage it does to their lives. It is a life isolated and segregated from
the real world. You cannot put a price tag on a human life in a state institution.

Let’s look at the cost of the closure of the state institution in Jacksonville which was
extremely successful, and compare the costs at the state institution in Centralia, Murray.
About 120 individuals transitioned from the state institution in Jacksonville to the
community.

  1. The most recent cost of institutionalizing an individual at the state institution Murray
    is $240,000 per person per year for Fiscal Year 2012.*
  2. If that person from Murray is in a day program, it costs the state an additional
    $15,686 or $255,686 per year, per person.*
  3. The average cost of supporting individuals from Jacksonville through the ACTT
    Process into CILA and day services is $119,423.*

*Blair, D., Division of Developmental Disabilities, April, 2014.


Tony Paulauski
Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
20901 S. LaGrange Rd. Suite 209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 (OFFICE)
815-464-1832 (CELL)
Tony@www.thearcofil.org