Shapiro visits Canonsburg’s ARC Human Services, talks up reduced waitlist time for disability services

CANONSBURG – As budget negotiations grind on in Harrisburg, Gov. Josh Shapiro came to Canonsburg Thursday to talk about how funding increases in last year’s budget helped individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism.
At the Canonsburg office of Arc Human Services, the nonprofit organization that provides services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities or mental illnesses, Shapiro outlined how, last year, almost $355 million in federal and state funding helped raise wages for direct support professionals (DSPs) who work with those with disabilities and reduced the emergency waiting list for services. This has resulted in 4,000 more people with disabilities being able to get services, according to the governor.
“People often underestimate those with disabilities,” Shapiro said. “We know that people with disabilities make our communities stronger. … That’s why I’ve been so focused on making sure Pennsylvanians with disabilities have the resources they need to succeed and thrive and live life on their own terms.”
Shapiro pointed out that the job vacancy rate for DSPs is now at 14%, the lowest rate it has been since 2015. He also said the additional dollars have resulted in 6% wage increases. That means the salaries for DSPs have gone up by almost a dollar since 2023, from $16.90 per hour to $17.85.
“Six percent is good, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Shapiro said.
He added that the emergency waiting list, “which I know has frustrated Pennsylvanians for so long,” has been reduced by 28% in a year, which Shapiro described as “a historic drop.”
Shapiro was accompanied by Val Arkoosh, the secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, who said “the waitlist is shrinking, services are expanding and DSPs are getting the wages that they deserve.”
The governor’s 2025-26 budget proposal would maintain current funding levels for services for those with disabilities and autism, and add $21 million to boost wages and benefits for direct care personnel who work with those with physical disabilities and older adults.
Regarding the 2025-26 state budget, which is now almost two months overdue, Shapiro said progress is being made in negotiations between the Democratic-controlled state House and the Republican-majority state Senate. He believes they are “very close” to finalizing a deal.
“We’re at a point where both sides need to make tough choices,” he said.
The governor also remarked on the shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis Wednesday that left two students dead and 18 others injured. “It’s not normal, and we should not accept this as normal,” he said.
“No one is immune from this, and it’s time it stopped,” Shapiro said. “We stand out, sadly, as a nation where this continues to happen. … It needs to stop.”