Superintendent Heather Jenkins told the Senate Appropriations Human Resources Division that the Life Skills and Transition Center in Grafton has shifted from long-term institutional care to short-term crisis stabilization and statewide outreach, and asked lawmakers to approve a one-time roof replacement and funding to support operations.

Jenkins said LSTC operates on a $73,000,000 budget and “provides specialized care to children and adults with complex and co‑occurring disabilities who may not be adequately supported by existing community services.” She described two primary services: residential crisis stabilization in an intermediate care facility and non‑residential statewide stabilization supports including applied behavior analysis, crisis coordinators and transition planning.

The request to replace the Cedar Grove roof — a one‑time state general fund request of $712,480 — was highlighted as necessary to protect recent remodeling work and ensure continuing safe occupancy for 28 residents served in that building. Jenkins said the roof has been repeatedly patched and “temporary fixes are no longer sufficient.” Committee staff confirmed the house budget included the roof request.

Jenkins told the committee LSTC’s role has evolved: admissions increased (her slides showed a 69% increase in admissions across two 18‑month periods), but the point‑in‑time census fell to a historic low of 46 people “reflecting our success in providing short‑term crisis care while supporting transitions into the community.” She said the average length of stay dropped from 8.1 years in 2023 to about 2.4 years in the most recent period because of faster transitions.

The superintendent described two examples to illustrate services: Mason, who completed a 20‑day stabilization stay and returned successfully to a new community ICF after on‑site supports and coordination; and Sam, who used repeated short stays and statewide supports over several years and eventually moved permanently to a new community placement. Jenkins said LSTC “starts planning for transition the day someone is admitted” and follows up two weeks, one month, three months and six months after a move.

Committee members pressed Jenkins on program details and community capacity. Senator Matherne asked whether the concentration of admissions in LSTC’s home region indicated providers were again offloading difficult cases; Jenkins said many admissions are short‑term resets and that the center is trying to expand regional services so people do not have to move to Grafton. Committee members also discussed the availability of housing in Grafton for staff recruitment; Jenkins said local leaders are working on housing incentives and a few apartment projects are under development.

Jenkins reported workforce pressures: an 18.4% vacancy rate overall, high vacancies among direct support professionals and heavy reliance on contract staff and overtime. She said LSTC uses a mix of recruitment and retention strategies, on‑the‑job training and efforts to reduce mandatory overtime. The center employs a statewide applied behavior analyst (ABA) team (about 10 ABAs located in Fargo, Minot, Bismarck, Grafton and Grand Forks) and a statewide Crisis and Stabilization Coordination (CSC) team that provides onsite consultations and short‑term supports without formal licensing; Jenkins and HHS staff said they are working on funding and potential pathways to bill for some stabilization services.

Committee members asked about LSTC’s campus footprint: Jenkins said the campus includes 23 buildings (some dating to 1909) and co‑locates 11 other agencies. She said several buildings are underused and LSTC is discussing options with local partners to better utilize space. The committee also discussed rent charged to occupants on the campus and asked agency finance staff to provide lease schedules and revenue totals.

Heather Jenkins closed by outlining LSTC’s priorities for the coming biennium: strengthen community‑based crisis diversion and stabilization, expand billing options where permissible to reduce general fund reliance, pursue dual accreditation options, and continue discussions with local partners about consolidating and modernizing the campus footprint.

Ending: Committee members thanked Jenkins for the update and said they would carry LSTC budget items and capital requests to the next committee stages for further review.