Clarifications, Corrections to Story About Bluebonnet Trails Facility

In Tuesday’s paper, we reported that Bluebonnet Trails Community Services plans to close its Schulenburg Enrichment Center, a day program for adults with intellectual disabilities, at the end of October. Bluebonnet Trails has offered the affected clients transportation to a different program in La Grange provided by Kenmar Residential Services. Bluebonnet Trails said they made the decision due to rising costs, increasing regulations and dwindling numbers of clients utilizing the Schulenburg program.

The Schulenburg facility’s landlord, Fayette County Commission for Intellectual Disabilities (FCCID), raised concerns that Kenmar may not take some clients who utilized the day program on a part-time basis. On Monday, CEO Ken Gray of Kenmar told the Record his facility would accept part-time clients. “We will take them with open arms,” he said. In addition, Gray said the group homes his organization operates in Schulenburg are licensed for 12 individuals, not 14 as reported in the story, and he said the homes are not currently full. FCCID had said individuals who live in the group homes had received services at the Schulenburg Enrichment Center in the past. Gray said the Schulenburg Enrichment Center had not served the group home residents since the COVID pandemic started.

Gray said new regulations prohibit programs like the Schulenburg Enrichment Center from mixing group home residents with special needs adults who live in the community. He said rising costs and increasing regulations have made it tougher for organizations to operate day habilitation services for special needs adults. “The state reimbursement for care workers is only $8.11 per hour,” Gray said. “We have to start our people at $10 an hour at least, because they can go work for Buccee’s and make more than that. The state is not willing to fund it. Texas is 49th in the nation when it comes to funding people with developmental disabilities.”