NMPASI temporarily takes over Family Hope Center

The Family Hope Center will now be temporarily operated by Northern Marianas Protection and Advocacy Systems, Inc. after the Council for Developmental Disabilities transferred its management from the Association of Family with Disabilities.

Thomas J. Camacho, the governor’s special assistant for disability policy and programs, announced the move, saying the Fitial administration is now looking for new operators—not only for the center but for its Call-A-Ride program as well.

The Call-A-Ride program was previously run by the Pacific Development Inc., which returned its management to the council due to funding shortfall.

Camacho did not disclose why the Association of Family with Disabilities is giving up control of the Family Hope Center.

“The council made the decision to transfer the temporary management of the center to NMPASI so as to avoid the program from shutting down,” he said.

The Family Hope is a one-stop center on Saipan. Families and guardians of children with disabilities are provided immediate assistance like transportation and information necessary for persons with disabilities.

Camacho, in admitting that NMPASI cannot hold the program for long, said the council is in the process of reorganizing itself to effectively carry out its mandates and programs.

Besides the Call-A-ride and Hope Center, the council is also supervising the “trankilu financing” and the “assistance technology” programs.

Saipan Tribune learned that each program receives federal funding assistance to supplement the nonprofit groups’ operations.

For Call-A-Ride, the operator receives up to $120,000 annually, while the Family Hope Center operator gets $150,000-$200,000.

Once transferred to nonprofit groups, these federal grants will also be automatically transferred.

Now that the Hope Center has been returned, Camacho said that plans to establish Rota and Tinian centers may not push through.

“That’s why we need to find a non-profit group that will continue the service. This is a unique program that we’re hoping will continue here,” he said, citing the important role it plays to the “special population.”

Camacho said this is the Family Hope Center’s fifth year of the cycle grant.

“The NMPASI takeover is to make sure that it will not shut down,” he said, adding that federal assistance will be recalled once the program closes.

The governor’s special assistant said that the DD Council is finalizing the scope of work for the Call-A-Ride proposed RFP.

Camacho said some of the specific requirements for the new Call-A-Ride operator include a good background in transporting people; must be in the transportation business; sensitive enough to serve the special type of client; must comply with the needed medical trainings like CPR; and has the financial capability to run the program in a longer time.

Last year, the administration said it wants the Call-A-Ride operation transferred to a nonprofit group and free the DD council from its operation after some “fiscal mismanagement” was uncovered by the council during the leadership of Tony Chong, who was placed on administrative leave until his contract was not renewed.

Since 2006, long-term sustainability plans for the Call-A-Ride were identified but have not materialized. These include the increase in its fee and opening up the riders’ eligibility for other non-disabled clients. The Council charged $2.50 per segment of service to client.

Camacho said the administration couldn’t afford to shut down the program—as a result of the “poor management”—as many depend on the services provided by Call-A-Ride.

The program has two buses for Saipan and one each for Rota and Tinian.

There are approximately 80 clients that benefit from the Saipan service on a daily basis, according to Camacho.