Willowbrook mother says group homes are backsliding as state funding stagnates

By Mark Hallum

Posted on October 27, 2021

After fighting to close the Willowbrook State School in Staten Island during the 1970s and 1980s, Willie Mae Goodman continues to fight for her developmentally disabled daughter — now in her 60s — to get the right treatment in facilities in New York.

Now, with the problems of Willowbrook seemingly far behind, Goodman said there remains neglect from the government in the form of funding. This deficiency manifests itself in the form of a staffing shortage, and she indicated the real victims are residents of groups homes who depend on that care.