The Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services announced Friday that it will be closing the Lawrence SRS service center, 1901 Del. by Kevin Anderson
Heart breaking. Devastating. A nightmare.
Those were just a few words that were used to describe Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services’ decision to close the Lawrence office at 19th and Delaware streets, which has 87 employees.
The workers were notified Friday morning during a conference call that they will be reassigned to neighboring offices based upon service needs.
The closure is expected to occur within three months, said Rachel Whitten, SRS public information officer.
SRS provides a variety of services for low-income children and families, as well as for people with disabilities. For example, it administers the food stamp program and provides child protection services.
These clients value the office because they can drop off paperwork in a timely manner and get face-to-face time with SRS employees.
Once the office closes, they are expected to use online and phone services or drive to another center. The closest are in Overland Park, Topeka and Ottawa.
District Attorney Charles Branson said his office and law enforcement in Douglas County work closely with SRS on a variety of cases, especially child-in-need-of-care, juvenile offender, sexual abuse and child abuse cases.
He said law enforcement investigations rely on SRS a great deal to be able to identify children and vulnerable adults in need who have been victimized and bring their abusers to court.
“Without a local presence of SRS in the fifth-largest jurisdiction in the state, I think the health, safety and welfare of people in Douglas County are going to be greatly affected by this. Instead of a reduction in force, this is a flat-out amputation, and I have to question why it happened to Lawrence and Douglas County,” Branson said.
SRS did not respond Friday to a request for the number of SRS caseloads at the Lawrence office as well as the other offices being closed, or how Douglas County’s caseload compared with other offices across the state.
Statewide closures, restructuring
SRS is restructuring its offices statewide, a process that will include merging six regions into four, and a closure of nine service centers, according to a press release sent Friday upon request of the Journal-World.
Others offices being closed are in Coffeyville, Fort Scott, Garnett, Lyndon, Marysville, McPherson, Pratt and Wellington.
Among the considerations for selecting offices for closure, the release said, were caseload size and proximity to other SRS offices.
When asked why Lawrence, which has such a large population, Whitten emphasized the proximity to other SRS offices and added, “It was a very detailed process that was thought out and researched and examined, and we have definitely ensured that the people in Lawrence who are served by that service center will not have an interruption in services and their cases will be handled efficiently and professionally.”
Budget cuts
The 2011 Legislature directed SRS to cut $42 million from its all-funds budget, including $1 million in administration costs for fiscal year 2012. To meet that reduction in administration, the agency is also reducing cell phone use and other expenses, and looking for ways to find additional efficiencies.
“The Legislature told us to find savings, and we have identified a way to achieve those savings while still providing exemplary services to our beneficiaries,” said SRS Secretary Rob Siedlecki.
When House Democratic leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, heard the news Friday, he was floored.
Just four weeks ago, Davis said, Siedlecki invited him and a few other local representatives to tour the Lawrence office. Siedlecki praised the office for its work and never uttered a word about the possibility it would be closed.
Davis said he can’t believe that Douglas County has been affected by the cutbacks when there are offices serving communities with fewer than 5,000 people being left open.
“I am becoming increasingly convinced that the vulnerable Kansans who rely upon some assistance from the state during tough economic times are not a top priority for the Brownback administration,” he said.
Davis also criticized the timing of the announcement.
“Announcing the closure of these offices on the Friday before a holiday weekend is yet another cowardly move by this administration.”
Ripple effect in community
Loring Henderson, director of the Lawrence Community Shelter, called it a “terrible blow.” The shelter has about 150 active clients, and, of those, about 80 percent use SRS services for items like food stamps and vocational rehabilitation.
He said these people can’t afford shelter let alone gasoline money to get food stamp applications in area cities. He also doesn’t expect that they will be able to navigate a complex SRS system through the Internet.
So, how will they access services?
“They will be coming to us and asking for help. We and other agencies and case managers will end up having to help them get transportation to these places and then we will have to be coming to the community at large and asking for more donations to underwrite our transportation programs. So, it’s a vicious circle.”
Other agencies like Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center and Independence Inc. are concerned about the impact on their clients.
Stacey Hunter Schwartz, executive director of Independence Inc., said often their clients need paperwork filed right away and they are able to send them around the corner to SRS.
“A lot of people are in such a state of crisis that when they need it, it isn’t like they can wait a few days and hear by mail. That’s a common scenario,” she said.
A Lawrence resident who has loved ones who depend on SRS services for everyday life was upset on Friday.
“It just sounds like a nightmare. I was just shocked when I learned it was closing,” said the woman, who didn’t want to be identified. “There’s going to be higher frustration, lack of services, lack of coordination of services.”
She has an elderly mother and son with neurological developmental issues who access SRS services. She is the person who handles all of their paperwork and often goes to the Lawrence office for help or to drop off needed paperwork.
“How am I going to be able to resolve situations through a computer system, where I will not have documentation that the items have been received and are accessible, and known to the people who are processing them?” she asked.
She also doesn’t have the time or money to drive to area offices. Taking care of her son is more than a full-time job.
“There will be a tremendous stress on whatever transportation issue there is," she said.
Future SRS services
In the release, SRS said beneficiaries served by the affected offices will see no disruption in services. As staff and casework is reassigned, customers will be notified of how and where to contact their assigned caseworkers.
Beneficiaries may contact any SRS office to inquire about services, can apply for services online at www.srs.ks.gov, and, in many cases, can contact their caseworker or manage services over the phone or online, the SRS release said.
The release further noted: All communities in which offices will be closed have public libraries that provide Internet access to the public. SRS also maintains Access Points, where people can receive informational materials and traditional hard copy applications for assistance.
In Lawrence, the Access Points are:
• Community Health Facility, 200 Maine.
• Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt.
• Lawrence Workforce Center, 2540 S. Iowa, Suite R.
• Health Care Access, 330 Maine.
• United Way Center for Human Services, 2518 Ridge Court, Suite 200.
CENTERS SET FOR CLOSURE
Here are more details about the communities where Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Services is closing offices. Lawrence — with 87 employees — is the largest office to close. The population numbers are U.S. Census Bureau 2009 estimates.
• Lawrence: 87 employees. City population: 92,048.
• Fort Scott: 30 employees. City population: 7,938.
• Wellington: 18 employees. City population: 7,677.
• McPherson: 17 employees. City population: 13,323.
• Coffeyville: 16 employees. City population: 10,244.
• Pratt: 13 employees. City population: 6,315.
• Garnett: 5 employees. City population: 3,163.
• Marysville: 12 employees. City population: 3,105.
• Lyndon: 10 employees. City population: 998.
Tagged: SRS, District Attorney, low-income, poverty, homeless, Lawrence Community Shelter, Independence Inc., Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center
Comments
jackbinkelman (anonymous) says…
How many other ways will Lawrence be "punished"?
true_patriot (anonymous) says…
Full on class warfare - give to the rich, steal from the poor. It's such a loaded phrase, but the Koch Brothers of the world are banking on the sheeple to be reluctant to notice what's happening to them now that they've bought and paid for key politicians and the jump starting of a new ultra radical political party.
Guess it'll have to effect more and more families higher up the middle class income scale before there is any real backlash. Those already going to bed hungry and unable to pay for medical needs and losing their homes will just have to suffer more. Nice way to gouge the Lawrence economy during a downturn as well.
QuiviraTrail (anonymous) says…
Wait a minute. Aren't there two SRS facilities on Delaware St.? The one on the west is the SRS Office and the one on the east must be the service center. If the office remains open, then consumers won't be affected. Am I not correct?
kbritt (Karrey Britt) replies…
There's just one facility in Lawrence. Office and service center are one and the same.
kugirl07 (anonymous) replies…
It is my understanding that the building on the West side of the street is open to the public for services and to meet with workers. This is also where most workers are housed. The building on the East side of the street used to be the Protection Reporting Center where hotline calls were handled. That was dismantled in the last couple of years and many of those workers were let go or able to move into other positions within the agency as the state went to having only two Protection Reporting Centers statewide. The second building is still used as office space for additional workers... not as many as there were before I am sure, but still...
artful_dodger (anonymous) says…
Is there an easy way to find out the number of people served and employees as the offices not selected for closure? Lawrence seems to have a pretty good rate of 1058 per 1 employee.
kbritt (Karrey Britt) replies…
We have requested the number of caseloads in Douglas County and how it compares to the rest of the state. Also, we've requested the number of caseloads for all of the centers being closed.
OldSoldier (anonymous) replies…
How about asking for the detailed cost figures used to decide these actions? How much money is to be "saved" by this? Also ask where the 203 staff who are without jobs will be worked back into the agency so they aren't fired.
LH3867 (anonymous) replies…
Good questions Old Soldier. Hopefully they will be asked, but more imporantly answered. As a Kansas taxpayer I expect answers and this administration seems to think they are exempt from press requests. If there is nothing to hid and they are making changes for the right reasons, they would be responding. They are politicians - make no mistake and even worse politicians who have no stake in Kansas. Transparency? I think not. Watch the future articles for the layoffs that will announced. It sounds like that are hoping to transfer people to other offices hoping they will resign and they won't need to layoff staff. The taxpayers of Kansas should be outraged by these political shennigans. It it was really aboiut saving money that would be great but it doesn't appear that is what is happening. Not with the money they are probably spending on the new people they are hiring. If this administration really cared about saving money - they should look at the administration salaries and not how they can take away from the most vulnerable of Kansas. Any press requests for this information?
kugirl07 (anonymous) replies…
I was interested in numbers myself... The website is kind of a pain navigate, but if you go to the web address below and click on each division there will then be a row of links at the top of the page (for each division) including "reports & outcomes". Hope this helps. The most up to date info is for FY11 I believe.
http://srs.ks.gov/agency/Pages/Agency...
rbwaa (anonymous) says…
This is what we get from our 'family friendly' governor and his Florida imports. Closing KNI cannot be far behind.
LH3867 (anonymous) replies…
There is nothing "family friendly" about what is happening in SRS. Siedlecki is a puppet - a walking sound bite with no substance whatsoever. He can't even keep track of what he tells the offices he visits and different numbers are given depending on his audience. It is a dog and pony show and it is about the press following him around and taking pictures like he is some great leader. Seems like it would be a good time to ask him questions rather than snapping pictures. It's a joke - he is a joke. He is a small man with issues. He lies and can't keep track of what he says. I have a family member that is still employed and you can hear him and his cronies in the halls of SRS talking poorly about customers and how they need to get off the system. From what I have heard, there are some that abuse the system but rather than figure ways to address theses issues they assume all SRS customers are abusing the system and want to cut them. We all know that is not true. to them addiction is a "moral issue" and mental health isn't far behind. Where are the advocates for these vulnerable Kansans? They shoud be outraged. State government IS accountable to the taxpayers. This is nonsense.
kbritt (Karrey Britt) says…
Talked to various clients and agencies in town — This move has been described as "heart breaking" and "devastating" by many. Check back for what they have to say.
OldSoldier (anonymous) says…
Just how much "savings" (which is really cost avoidance because SRS is not SAVING money like in a bank account) is this projected to be? Let's see the detailed cost analysis, and not just the gross numbers. Siedlecki says don't lay anyone off. Say WHAT? All of the closure amount to about 203 staff without jobs. So where in SRS are they going to go work? This Siedlecki is nuts. Talks out of both sides of his mouth, which is just a mouthpiece for SAM the man.
stops4armadillos (anonymous) says…
Brownie says your church should help feed, clothe and shelter you. That's why he brought in his cronies for "faith based initiatives". Better accept Jesus as your savior ASAP, po' folks, if you want to eat and keep a roof over your head.
acornwebworks (Kendall Simmons) replies…
What amazes me about these "faith-based initiative" arguments is that they always assume that churches and faith-based organization have plenty of money. That all they have to do is 'ask their congregation' and everyone will pitch in unlimited dollars.
What these folks like Brownshirt apparently don't realize is that churches are made up of PEOPLE. And this recession hit all sorts of PEOPLE hard. It didn't bypass members of congregations. As a result, many churches are stretched thin with meeting already-existing needs...and are certainly not prepared to take on more.
I'm currently writing a grant proposal (and making fundraising suggestions) on behalf of a church (not in Lawrence) so that they can continue a 20 year old food lunch program that they've already had to cut in half because they simply can't afford it by themselves right now. Yet these churches are the resources Brownshirt thinks can provide for everyone in need.
Brownback apparently prefers the words of John Calvin to those of his Jesus Christ. Yet he calls himself a "Christian". Bah humbug.
sourpuss (anonymous) replies…
Many churches are cutting back. I am friends with a priest at one who has seen contributions drop by more than half. People with money are not giving, and the poorer people are too poor to give. His church will give up its full-time priest soon and he'll move elsewhere. They can't afford him. Looking to the church is not the answer.
acornwebworks (Kendall Simmons) replies…
I wonder how we can organize churches and faith-based organizations across the state to march on Topeka to tell Brownshirt and friends that they can't do it alone so stop looking to them to solve the problems *he* was elected to do.
Seems to me that Brownshirt didn't bother talking to churches and faith-based organizations any more than he bothered talking to county commissioners in the Flint Hills about his then-proposed ban on wind farms.
skinny (Richard Johnson) says…
Somebody always wanting something for nothin! It's time we redo our tax structure and everybody pay a flat 15% and no tax deductions. It shouldn't matter if you make 7 dollars an hour 100 dollars an hour. A flat 15% tax period!
kansasexile (anonymous) says…
Lawrence, one of the largest cities in the state is having its office closed and Ottawa isn't? Hmmmn. Something wrong with this picture.
weeslicket (anonymous) replies…
ding! ding! ding!
and we have a winner!
Midnightblue1 (anonymous) says…
These politicians are far from family friendly. They could care less about the families that will be affected by this; especially the children. That's pretty obvious. More lying politicians who think the public can't see through their lies. It would be nice if the community could make a difference. I agree with the police department and other agencies. It will be like an amputation to them and to the people who truly need assistance These so called "family/faith based" people who made this decision didn't consider the impact this would have on a large community. Over 90,000 people in Lawrence. The population of the next largest city for closing an SRS office is around 13, 000, than 7,000 and downward from there. There is definitely something wrong with this picture. There is so much more to this story than will never be admitted.
Midnightblue1 (anonymous) replies…
Sorry, there is so much more to this story that will never be admitted.
foggydew (anonymous) says…
Why is anyone surprised? Democratic Lawrence is being punished by the Brownback administration.
cher1 (anonymous) says…
Oh,my God. What is wrong with Brownback? He has struck at the most vulnerable citizens of Kansas. He is striking again and again and again. This man is on such a power trip that it is terrifying. So many people in Douglas Cty. are on the brink of losing everything that has kept them in a state of survival. I am very,very frightened for many people in Douglas Cty. and Kansas.
mommie2boogie (anonymous) says…
I would really like to see how each person voted on this particular issue. Interesting little tidbit, TeriLois Gregory is the representative for Ottawa and Baldwin.... it was the Ottawa district that got her voted in, not the Baldwin area..... interesting isnt it? The population of Ottawa does not even compare to that of Lawrence, yet they chose Lawrence.
LeBo (anonymous) says…
Douglas County is one of the top ten population centers in Kansas. This is how voting for Sam Brownback and not complying with the Census will hurt Lawrence.
mommie2boogie (anonymous) replies…
Exactly, I just can't comprehend why people would vote for him, when he turns around and screws them and other people over? Wth, do they like to be stomped on?!
foodboy (anonymous) says…
Word from someone who knows, is that the best way to get promoted at SRS is to prominently wear a cross and that job applicants are routinely asked about their religion and their degree of religious fervor and suggestions are made on a church to join. Some investigative reporting needs to be done into an administration that has taken secrecy and partisanship to new levels
Midnightblue1 (anonymous) replies…
I don't know about everyone, but I do know that this is not the norm with all SRS workers.
pusscanthropus (anonymous) says…
This is nothing new--it is Social Darwinism, the misapplication of laws of biology to society. And isn't it ironic that Brownback, who stated publicly he does not believe in evolution, would embrace the misapplication of Darwin's ideas?
From: http://library.thinkquest.org/C004367...
“Social Darwinism is a belief, popular in the late Victorian era in England, America, and elsewhere, which states that the strongest or fittest should survive and flourish in society, while the weak and unfit should be allowed to die. The theory was chiefly expounded by Herbert Spencer, whose ethical philosophies always held an elitist view and received a boost from the application of Darwinian ideas such as adaptation and natural selection…
Social Darwinism applied to a social context too, of course. It provided a justification for the more exploitative forms of capitalism in which workers were paid sometimes pennies a day for long hours of backbreaking labor. Social Darwinism also justified big business' refusal to acknowledge labor unions and similar organizations, and implied that the rich need not donate money to the poor or less fortunate, since such people were less fit anyway.”
whatupdown (anonymous) says…
I thought that the SRS just created a dozen new high paying positions?
rtwngr (anonymous) says…
Isn't it amazing how so many people think that because the offices are to be closed that those needing assistance will not receive it. That's obtuse. Services will still be available though different offices and online.
acornwebworks (Kendall Simmons) replies…
What I find amazing are those people who don't realize that services being available and people being able to access them aren't the same thing. Sometimes not even close to the same.
Perhaps you have never been in a situation where you've tried to figure out something online and not been able to. Or been restricted in the number of minutes you can spend on a public computer in a day. Perhaps you've never been in a situation where you can only afford a prepaid phone and 40 minutes a month. Perhaps you've never been in a situation where you don't have a car, much less gas money. But surely you have an imagination!
And perhaps it's never occurred to you that putting more work on the same or fewer people achieves a point of diminishing returns rather quickly?
By the way, *that* is why businesses hire new people...because they NEED them...*not* because they get tax cuts. Why on earth are so many people fooled into believing that businesses hire people they don't need simply because tax cuts give them increased profits????
Oh yeah...for-profit businesses are gonna spend their increased profits hiring people they *don't* need so that those new hires can sit around on their butts all day doing nothing.
Midnightblue1 (anonymous) replies…
Tell that to a disabled or homeless person who cannot get to an out of town office or navigate a computer.
MePlus4 (anonymous) replies…
Thank you! This was the comment I was looking for as I was scrolling through all of the other ones. I just feel bad for all the people who may not have a job now.
stops4armadillos (anonymous) says…
Yes, the did, whatupdown. For Brownie's bible-thumpin' cronies.
stops4armadillos (anonymous) says…
Yes, the did, whatupdown. For Brownie's bible-thumpin' cronies.
chigger (anonymous) says…
SRS does many things that help persons that can't help themselves. I doo think their guidlines for who quallifies need to be tightened. I am fortunate to be able to work to earn money to pay my federal and state taxes. when 48% of the population is exempt from that taxation how long can it continue? They should have some skin in the game too.
acornwebworks (Kendall Simmons) replies…
That 48% figure is *incredibly* misleading. It only refers to paying federal income taxes...nothing more. It doesn't refer to payroll taxes, state and local taxes, property taxes, gasoline taxes, sales taxes, etc, etc, etc.
Look...over the last 30 years, tax rates have fallen vastly more for the rich than for the rest of us while their incomes have grown exponentially, compared to the rest of us. Yet they have no more hours a day than the rest of us. They've done no more work than the rest of us. If it weren't for the rest of us, they wouldn't be rich.
Do I expect the rich to pay for everything? Of course not. Do I think that raising taxes on them will cover the entire deficit. Of course not. I'm just saying that dealing with the deficit involves both cuts in spending *and* changes in taxes that do NOT LOWER taxes.
citizensurvivor (anonymous) says…
Branson's concerns regarding the effect on the safety of children who are being sexually and physically abused are definetly one of the gravest concerns. Without caseworkers available to work with law enforcement, hundreds/thousands of children's lives are at stake. Some children will end up dead. Some will grow up but be affected in ways that will impact our society for generations. Endangering the welfare of children is illegal, and Brownback and his co-horts should be sued or stopped. The only reason the Lawrence office is being closed is because we are a more district with more democrats -- I thought discrimination on the basis of political affiliation was also illegal.
rlsd (anonymous) says…
Lawrence is now a bedroom community for even the SRS. No jobs, no SRS, join the line on K 10 and I 70, pretty much everyone is doing it.....I have heard of many in just the last few weeks leaving town (even the school district) for jobs and better pay. Figure it out Lawrence! It has nothing to do with politics and payback by Brownbeck.....
hpp422 (anonymous) says…
The motive for this move is so obvious. It's Brownback's way of punishing Douglas County for being the most Democratic county in Kansas other than Wyandotte county. He wouldn't think of closing the Ottawa office in Franklin County.....one of the most Republican counties in Kansas.
MePlus4 (anonymous) replies…
my thoughts exactly!!!
kerryaltenbernd (anonymous) says…
This is an appalling action, but it should not be a surprise. Kansas is being run by extreme ideologues, and we should expect ideologues to behave as ideologues. What bothers me the most is the absolute silence coming from the supposedly moderate Republicans from our State. Where is Tom Sloan? Where is Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker? Where is Bill Graves? Where is Bob Dole? Where is Mike Hayden? Why are you all silent? Are you keeping quiet because you have some mistaken notion that by doing so you are keeping party unity intact? Intact for what? Kansas, your state and my state, is in trouble! If you don't agree with all of this BS, then speak out against it, because in this arena, silence IS consent!
Cant_have_it_both_ways (anonymous) says…
People who make their living off of the working people would figure out a way to get "Services" if they were only available at the bottom of the ocean.
acornwebworks (Kendall Simmons) replies…
Oh come on. Please don't tell us that you've bought into the old "welfare Cadillac" mythology...or failed to realize that those 'Cadillacs' were 15 years old, cost $300, and barely ran.
This past recession has taught a lot of "working people" that they had been resenting the wrong people. All it takes is having to file for food stamps or other assistance yourself because you lost your job and, in a massive recession, can't find another one (or two or three) sufficient to pay your bills (including your mortgage) has a tendency to have that effect.
As an aside, did you know that the first INCREASE in people on welfare in 15 years occured in 2009? One guess why. And one guess who.
xyandz (anonymous) says…
For years I have tried to figure out what is wrong with this city and can not come up with an answer. I do know that within 2012 I am out of here. This closure is just bizarre. I respectfully reply to chigger and rtwngr that they have obviously not walked in the worn out shoes of someone in need. In need not because they don't want to work but because a set of circumstances has put them in a position of helplessness. When either of these people are forced to load there 20 year old car with their most important documents, clothing, sleeping bag, water to wash their faces and brush teeth, eat only dry cereal for days, find a place to park the car to sleep for a few hours, then perhaps I could listen to them. I lived for nearly thirty years in a comfortable home and worked ten hour days for twenty years. Then my husband left me with nothing but attorney fees. I have worked below minimum wage jobs for two years. Several months ago I applied for student loans so I could return to school, learn a new trade and take care of myself and my teenage child. I am still without a home but was just getting a start with SRS for temporary help. I have NO income now and rely on twenty to fifty dollars from family when or if they can. Do you realy think I have gas money to travel or time to rely on mail service or internet? Join the world of reality please, it will one day affect even you. This sham of a governmental system the United States has adapted is producing nothing but money for those with money. I find it sad that two days from Independance day, and with our young people fighting to keep money in the pockets of corporate America that I have given up on this system of puppetry we have called our government. Thanks so much Mr. Brownback and to those in your pocket as well.
naturenut (anonymous) says…
Are they removing the requirement of showing up in person to show photo ID to get assistance? My friends who get assistance either are disabled and cannot drive or cannot afford cars, and there is limited mass transit here or out of the city.
My guess is they assume if its hard to apply, there will be less applicants, and then the state and city automatically look richer.
MePlus4 (anonymous) replies…
I did my interview over the phone because I have four kids and I was new in town and didn't know where to get a sitter and couldn't afford one. There are people out there who have more severe cases and getting to an Access Point in town may be difficult to do especially if they are disabled and have limited resources (transportation, money, family, friends, etc.) to help them get to the Access Points. Plus some people don't have phones or don't even know how to use the Internet. And if they are like me with four young children, the library isn't always an option. The only thing that I'm gonna miss out on is the copier at their office. At 10 cents a page, for someone who doesn't have cash in their pocket at all times, making copies at the library can be expensive, plus postage.
pz5g1 (anonymous) says…
Cue Captain Renault (Claude Rains): "I'm shocked!"