June 1, 2013
In a move to keep a much needed nursing home project for frail, formerly incarcerated and chronically ill persons on track, Toni Walker stood against the mindset of "not in my backyard" (NIMBY) and kept the multi-million dollar cost-saving plan moving forward.
On the floor of the House of Representatives Toni Walker said communities should share the responsibility of housing the state’s “frail population,” and not everyone who lives in the convalescent homes in New Haven are from that neighborhood. She saw the issue as a matter of fairness and what is right to provide care for the sick.
“We’re caring for everybody in this state, we’ve got to make sure that it’s shared,” she said. “In this case these are quadriplegics. These are people who will probably never get out of a chair again in life, and yet, you’re going to try and make it isolated like that? I think it’s just not fair.”
This year’s budget already anticipates a $5 million savings generated by moving the population into nursing homes.