Dozens of Texans with disabilities to lose housing as Texana shuts group homes

ROSENBERG, Texas (KTRK) -- Fourteen group homes serving those with developmental disabilities will close in September as the operator cites a shortage of state funding.

The group homes, operated by Texana Center, are located in six counties west and southwest of Houston, and are home to a combined 54 people.

"I cried 'cause I couldn't believe it," said Sarah Mohammed, who's autistic son, Sami, has lived in Texana Center group homes for most of his adult life.

"Change is hard for typical people. Change is especially hard for somebody on the autism spectrum," Mohammed said.

Texana Center said its group homes have been losing about $3 million a year for the last decade. That's with the $10.60 an hour the state reimburses the group for its employees.

Lawmakers recently voted to the raise the reimbursement rate to $13, but Texana Center says it's not a big enough increase.

"It's still not enough," Texana Center CEO Shena Ureste said. "There are too many other positions out there for these employees in the retail business where they can go make more money."

According to the Private Providers Association of Texas, a third of caregiver jobs are vacant.

Texana said its employees would need to make somewhere in the ballpark of $19.60 an hour, which is more in line with what state-employed caregivers make.

Yet other providers continue to operate, even at the $10.60 an hour rate.

"There is no difference in terms of the reimbursement. For Texana and the benefits that we provide, there is a pretty big difference," Ureste said.

Ureste said that scaling back those employees' benefits is out of the question and would only make it more difficult to recruit.

Mohammed is now looking for a new group home for her son before the Sept. 19 deadline.

"I registered him to be on that program when he was six years old, and the waitlist is so long he didn't get on it 'til he was 21," Mohammed said.

Ureste said Texana Center is working to connect all of its group home residents with new providers.

She said the group is hoping to sell its group homes to a company that would lease them to different providers, in which case residents wouldn't have to move.

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