Middletown,CT – REM Connecticut Community Services is planning to terminate the employment of 342 workers and close group homes that it operates in 18 towns by the end of 2014. The company was started by Robert E. Miller in Minnesota in 1967.
The redundancies and closures will take place in phases starting Oct 1 and will be completed by Dec 31.
The Journal Inquirer states that the agency, who filed a notice with the state Labor Department, were told that the closures were due to reductions in state funding.
“We have undertaken many rounds of negotiations with the Department of Developmental Services to arrive at a solution, as we view the closure of a program as a last resort.”
REM Executive Director, Paul Cataldo says in the notice:
“Unfortunately, the landscape has not improved.”
The notice goes on to say that REM will continue to support clients without interruption until they are successfully transitioned to an alternative provider.
They also add that employees will be hired by other services like REM without having gaps in employment.
The Service Employees International Union 1199 New England, that represents the workers, were unavailable for comment. The group homes affected by the closings are in East Hartford, Manchester, Mansfield, Somers, Tolland, Windsor, as well as another twelve towns.
REM provides community living arrangements, residential support, home support, and day services to those with ASD and those who are developmentally delayed.
The original article by in the Journal Enquirer can be read here