PORTLAND, Ore. – The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust has awarded L’Arche USA a three-year, $338,500 grant to accelerate measurement and evaluation practices aimed at improving the quality of life for people with disabilities and addressing the chronic shortage of qualified caregivers.
“I’m excited that the Murdock Trust is investing in our capacity to evaluate and understand the current and potential impacts of L’Arche on the lives of people with intellectual disabilities in our four communities in the Pacific Northwest and across the country,” said Laura Giddings, Executive Director of L’Arche USA. “There are so many needs, from better recruitment and retention of staff in the whole caregiving field to inclusive tools anyone could use to support integration of people with developmental disabilities into the wider community.”
In 2024, nearly half of all providers nationwide have discontinued programs or services because of staff vacancies. Vacancy rates for open DSP positions are also on the rise, a problem made worse by burnout from caregiving during the pandemic.
“Better measurement and evaluation will help us to see the reasons why caregivers leave and improve efforts to recruit and retain those who do the hard and critical work of caregiving,” Giddings said.
Housing insecurity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is a staggering problem. At least half a million people remain on state waiting lists nationwide for housing and community-based services like those L’Arche provides, contributing to greater isolation and marginalization for people with disabilities. In addition, not all states have functioning waiting lists, so the full scope of the need remains invisible to policymakers and advocates.
The structure, function, and quality of our social connection is so poor and the impact so great, that the US Surgeon General has raised an alarm with the label, “the loneliness epidemic.” Because they tend to lack the range of networks others may have socially, the situation appears more dangerous for people with IDD.
“It is important that people with disabilities lead us to solutions,” Giddings said. “Practices in authentic disability leadership are severely lacking, and we seek to actualize change that focuses on rights and inclusion. We appreciate that the Murdock Trust understands the importance of building organizational capacity so that we can work inclusively to implement solutions.”
The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, created by the will of the late Melvin J. (Jack) Murdock, provides grants to nonprofit organizations in five states of the Pacific Northwest—Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington—that seek to strengthen the region’s educational, social, spiritual, and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways.
L’Arche USA works on behalf of L’Arche communities in the U.S. to advance the rights and inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through inclusive leadership, engagement, and bringing the power of community to life, changing society so people with intellectual disabilities can thrive.
