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COPYRIGHT 2003 The Orlando Sentinel
Nov. 12--Hundreds of developmentally disabled adults throughout Florida face eviction from group homes because of unexpected cuts by the state's child-welfare agency.
They likely will be forced to join thousands already on waiting lists for services in an increasingly overburdened system.
While some group-home providers are still piecing together just how severely the $27.5 million in reductions will impact their services, others already know and are scrambling to find a way to keep serving residents.
One home, north of DeLand, has been calling other agencies, hoping to find a place for 93 residents who will have to leave.
In a rare move for advocates, those angered by the cuts picketed Wednesday at Department of Children & Families district offices throughout Florida.
"Our tradition has been to bear the burdens in silence," said John Askew, executive director of Sunrise ARC of Lake County. "We've had enough. We're taking to the streets."
The growing battle between the state and its group-home operators doesn't end there, however. DCF Secretary Jerry Regier...
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