The Ability Network of Delaware (A.N.D.) and its 39 member organizations provide vital services to members of the disability community, including those with mental health issues, physical disabilities, and intellectual disabilities. ESI was retained by A.N.D. to demonstrate the economic, community, and social return generated by State investment in the services provided by A.N.D. and its member organizations. This return derives from the multiplier effect of State dollars invested in such services, from cost savings and quality enhancements via reducing employee turnover, and from the larger financial and reputational costs avoided by adequate funding of those services, as well as from the economic contribution to the state that is made by participants of members’ workforce programs.
Due to the fact that the social and financial challenges facing the disabled community in Delaware are great, adequate funding of services provides a direct benefit to those served by A.N.D. members. These interventions also have larger impacts that benefit the state economy as a whole, and these additional benefits warrant further articulation. This report looks at four different aspects of economic impact: