Dozens of Seminole County residents with developmental disabilities are in danger of losing program that helps them find work because of budget cuts.

The executive director of the Seminole Work Opportunity Program, or SWOP, said several years of funding cuts could push people away from the program. 

SWOP is Seminole County’s only program that works to create its own jobs for people who have developmental disabilities. SWOP employees perform work for several companies across Central Florida.

Charles Miller said his son Bryce suffers from a form of autism and may never be able to get a job in the competitive workforce.  But since he’s worked at the Seminole Work Opportunity Program, he said Bryce has made huge progress.

“He takes on tasks readily at home.  He works hard here, works steadily, and then comes home and he loves to do dishes and he loves to do laundry,” said Miller.

SWOP operates in part using money each participant gets in a state medical waiver. But SWOP’s executive director said state leaders have continually reduced those medical waiver amounts in recent years.

“You take one step forward and then we take 20 steps back in how we provide services. So that’s a huge fear with ongoing funding cuts,” said Michelle Mangum, Executive Director of SWOP.

Mangum said the funding cuts mean some participants in the program will have to reduce the amount of days they take part in it, or even leave the program altogether.

“There’s going to come a point when the funding is going to be nibbled down so much that we are not going to be able to make up the difference to keep our son here at SWOP,” said Miller.

SWOP has been able to get some money at the local level. Seminole County government allotted $45,000 for SWOP for fiscal year 2015/2016. That money is for building maintenance and regular operations. The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office also handed over a $25,000 check to SWOP in February 2015.

But if state officials don’t reverse the reductions to the medical waivers, Miller worries Bryce will no longer be able to work at SWOP. And that means his son might have to go to a group home, and no longer live at his Sanford home.

“And in a group home you can end up in any group home anywhere in the state, and this is tearing families apart.  So I don’t want that for my son and I don’t want that for the other people here,” said Miller.

We reached out Governor Rick Scott’s office. 

A spokesperson pointed out that the state is supporting people with development disabilities by investing a $1.2 billion for the Agency of Persons with Disabilities.  The Governor’s office also said the state budget spends $40 million to remove more than 2,000 people from the critical needs waiting list.