DUNWOODY, Ga. — Freedom is all Ron Conley wants for himself and his family. He is working to give his younger brother, Gary, the freedom to live on his own with assistance. Gary did not get enough oxygen at birth, which caused him to grow up with a disability.
"He's not able to function at any higher level for his own care, his reading level is probably below first grade," Ron said. "He can function pretty well. In fact, he even worked at Kroger as a bagger. Whenever you’d go anywhere, he’d know people everywhere.”
When the Conleys' parents passed away, Ron became responsible for caring for his brother. He arranged transportation to get Gary to work and had his younger brother stay with him and his family.
"There was always this balancing act that had to take place, the caring for him, and then trying to build a family through that," Ron said. "He wants to live in a group home. He wants to be out on his own. I want to be able to do some things with him and be a better brother.”
Social security disability payments weren't enough to cover expenses, so Ron turned to Our Place, a nonprofit executive director Megan Cortjens said has helped thousands of families in just two years. The nonprofit links people with experts, funding, job help, transportation and other resources for loved ones with disabilities.
"Trust is extremely important when you're helping these families that are already in a vulnerable state," Cortjens said. "This information should be easier to access for families, and no one was doing it."
Cortjens said Georgia's NOW and COMP waiver programs are the most common ways for families to request support through the state. The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities requires recipients to be eligible for Medicaid and to have been diagnosed with an intellectual or developmental disability, among other factors.
But growing demand for the waivers makes it challenging for families to get immediate help. At the end of 2021, 11Alive found 7,047 people were on a waiting list. As of May 1, 2023, DBHDD said 7,012 people were on the waiting list, and more than 13,000 people had already received the NOW and COMP waivers.
The state increased funding in the annual budget by 30 percent to try and support the spiking demand for NOW and COMP waivers.
"There have been some people that can wait up to 10 years, and there are some families, depending on the need and urgency, can get it within a year's time," Cortjens said. “The application process is long and daunting, but there are grants, there are scholarships, there are other financial resources and ways to save for these families.”
While Ron continues to wait on the NOW and COMP waiver list, he's still fighting for freedom for himself and his brother.