A Letter to our Council Members

Dear Council Members: When my sister was 18 months old, she came down with a really high fever. She was taken to the Doctor and then rushed to the hospital where they immediately submerged her into a tub of ice. They continued to give her ice baths and wrap her in cold towels trying everything possible to make her fever break. In the midst of her fever and diarrhea she fell into a coma where she remained for a week. After a week my parents were informed by the Doctor(s) that they had done all they could do and they were going to 'pull the plug' on her (remove her from the equipment she was attached to while in her coma state). The Doctor told my parents they should go in and say their last good-byes, she is 18 months old, she is in a coma and her fever still hasn't broken. My Dad went in to see my sister and when he did she moved. My Dad went out and told the Doctor(s) that she moved, the Doctors came back in and hooked her back up and eventually got the fever to break and her to wake up. THANK GOD! Unfortunately, the fever had essentially 'cooked' her brain ultimately affecting the side of her brain that controls her speech. My parents said that at the time she became ill she was more advanced than children her age, she was walking and talking and could do things other children couldn't. I have this memory of my sister when we were little, I can see her with my Dad and he is putting her coat on and she is kind of limp and she says to him "Daddy I don't feel good". I can't really remember what her voice sounded like or if it is an actual memory or something I imagined, but I cling to it as a real memory of my sister before she could no longer speak. My parents were also told by the Doctors at that time that they should "put her (my sister) away and forget about her, she will just become a burden to your family" they said. My parents refused to do so and she has been in our home from birth. The only other place my sister has been as much as our home, is Hozhoni Foundation for the Handicapped. Hozhoni is as much apart of our home as anyone else in the family. The staff and the people who have worked with my sister over the years have all been amazing human beings. I am sure you all know that not everyone is cut out to do such work, and those who do should be APPLAUDED! I am aware that the current rise in minimum wage will affect all of the working class, prices will increase and those increases will be passed on to the consumers. For those living in the residences provided by Hozhoni and other facilities, the increased costs can't be passed onto their clients, because those clients are receiving their funding from the Government or State. Those of us who have loved ones with disabilities are also aware that the funds being used to provide services for those with disabilities will not increase since those funds are being provided by the Government, or the State. Hozhoni will be getting a 7% increase to help defray some of the costs of the initial wage increase (Prop 206). However, the current rise in minimum in Flagstaff is set to increase 50% since January of this year (2017) 25% due to Prop 206 and an additional 25% due to Prop 414 in July. An additional increase Hozhoni will not be able to bear. It has never occurred to me that Hozhoni would not be there for my sister or any of its other clients, it is to me something that is needed and something that I thought would surely be there for those who need it. Sadly this may not be the case for Hozhoni and other facilities in Flagstaff should Prop 414 be implemented. Prop 206 which raised the minimum wage to $10.00 per hour was a much needed increase in the wages for those who are making minimum wage earnings trying to support their families. However, the additional increase of Prop 414 bringing the minimum wage up to $12.00 per hour in less than 6 months (July) will bring a hardship on Hozhoni that will force it to close. I have a niece who has Down Syndrome, she is currently attending Coconino High School, she LOVES school. I am her legal guardian and I have been trying to decide whether or not to let her continue at Coconino until her 21st birthday, or take her out after her Senior year. I was thinking once she completed her vocational training she could start at Hozhoni and be apart of one of their work programs, based on her skill level. But, if Hozhoni is not there she will have no place to go in Flagstaff to continue her efforts of becoming independent and making a contribution to society. My sister is one of 862 clients currently using the services provided by Hozhoni and other providers here in Flagstaff. That number is only going to increase as those with disabilities currently attending the local high schools (Coconino and Flagstaff High School) age out or leave those schools. I am sending this email in the hopes of encouraging you to put a new initiative on the ballot in May Concerning the above mentioned Proposition. My plea is on behalf of my sister and my niece and all the other clients who depend on Hozhoni and other facilities here in Flagstaff for a place to live, or a place to go during the day where they can be with others of similar disabilities and socialize. If Hozhoni and the other facilities in Flagstaff are forced to shut down because they are unable to comply with the current propositions these additional people will become apart of the State run facilities. Or families will be forced to move where facilities are available, which may not be an option for all who are affected. I am sure the majority of the State run facilities are at maximum capacity, as they not only house the disabled but also the mentally ill. I could be mistaken but this seems to be putting a strain on a system that is already being cut and marginalized. I hate to think of another Willowbrook State School popping up, or worst. Prop 206 which raised the minimum wage to $10.00 per hour was a much needed increase. However, the additional increase of Prop 414 bringing the minimum wage up to $12.00 per hour in July will bring a hardship on Hozhoni and other facilities that will force them to close. I hope this is not the case. I would love to have my sister continue at Hozhoni and my niece is looking forward to riding the bus with her Aunt when the time comes. Thank you for your time, attention and consideration of this request to add an initiative to the May ballot regarding raising the minimum wage in a modified form that will allow those businesses like Hozhoni and other facilities an opportunity to try and comply while keeping their doors opens for those they serve. -- See ya when I see ya! Peace! Mattie