The Arkansas House of Representative’s has passed a bill allocating $7.7 million to improve conditions at the Booneville Human Development Center. The bill is currently awaiting action from members of the Arkansas Senate. The Booneville Human Development Center houses 127 residents has an annual operating cost of over $16 million. The $7.7 million should be used for the 3,100 Arkansans who have been waiting list for over eight years to receive community services. The state should halt admissions and begin a 12 to 18 month phase out of the facility. The $7.7 million should be used to provide services for those who are currently on the waiting list.

Arkansans with disabilities want the freedom to choose where they live, to choose where they eat and to choose where they pray. It is time for Arkansas to make forward thinking changes and follow states like Oklahoma and Alabama who have passed out these outdated facilities. Please sign the petition below if you agree that the state needs to phase out the Booneville Human Development Center and re-allocate funding to those 3,100 individuals on the waiting list.