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Feedback: Home For Adults To Close

Story Published: Mar 12, 2013 at 4:46 PM EDT

Story Updated: Mar 12, 2013 at 6:22 PM EDT

When 23 year old Jerette Farmer first moved into the Valehaven Home for Adults six months ago, he made a lot of friends.

What he didn't expect was that he would be forced to move out anytime soon.

But now he and the home's 33 other assisted living residents are finding themselves having to find new places to live after being told the facility is closing its doors. 

"it was shocking at first. Some people have been here 30-plus years...and they didn't know what to do," said Farmer.
 
The home's operator, Adirondack Manor Homes of Clifton Park, is closing the facility after nearly four decades because of rising costs and low government reimbursements primarily from Supplemental Security Income or SSI, which helps pay for the residents housing and needs, including 24 hour supervision, medications and personal care.

Because of the impending closure, 13 workers are being given the option to be reassigned to another company-owned facility or lose their jobs.
 
The adult home receives a SSI reimbursement rate of slightly more than $1,200 a month or about $40 a day, which owners say isn't enough to keep up with actual costs.

"We don't see any chance of a rate increase any time soon and when you couple that with the expected increases in minimum wage and the effect of Obamacare on small business, it's going to make the loss too large to be able to handle," said James Kane Jr., CEO of Adirondack
Manor Homes.

Kane says there is no specific timetable to close the adult home, but it won't happen until after all of the current residents can find acceptable housing elsewhere.
 
A closure plan has already been submitted and approved by the state Department of Health.

 

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Friday, May 24, 2013
, Watertown, NY

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