12 out of every 10,000 Texans are living homeless, reports Texas Standard. And a lot of these have intellectual disabilities. For many homeless, wait times for state services have proven daunting. When it comes to helping those with intellectual disabilities, Texas consistently falls near the bottom in state rankings. According to John Savage of The Texas Observer, “The state underfunds services for people with intellectual disabilities. That says something about our state’s priorities.”
The standard definition of intellectual disability is an IQ around 70 or below. According to Savage, Texas has by far the longest waiting list for services of any state. How to solve the problem? Savage puts it bluntly: States that do a better job than Texas simply spend more money on aid.
Listen to Texas Standard's story below: