Laura Baker Services Association (LBSA) has received a $50,000 grant for general operating expenses related to providing housing and support services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The grant was awarded by the Otto Bremer Trust, a nonprofit organization that invests in people, places and opportunities in the Upper Midwest.

“We are extremely grateful for the grant from the Otto Bremer Trust, as this will help us continue to support our programs and services for people with developmental disabilities,” says Sandi Gerdes, executive director at LBSA. “There is still a lot of work to be done.”

Since 1897, LBSA has been providing housing choices suited for individuals with IDD, in-home services and family support. Additionally, the organization provides services designed to support the broad range of unmet needs in the area’s IDD community, including people who are not LBSA clients. Part of its service offerings include support and advocacy for affected families.

LBSA’s primary source of income — and the income of its clients — is from Medicaid. Since 2014, Medicaid reimbursement rates have been flat, while operating expenses continue to increase. In 2018, LBSA received a seven percent reduction in Medicaid reimbursement rates.

As LBSA faces uncertainty with government funding and increased services costs, the need for services for people with IDD continues to grow. Gerdes says even more support is needed, as LBSA relies on private donations and funding to sustain its mission and secure future needed services for people with IDD.

About the Otto Bremer Trust

The Otto Bremer Trust is a bank holding company and a private charitable trust based in Saint Paul, Minn., that works at the intersection of finance and philanthropy. OBT is the 92 percent owner of Bremer Bank, a regional financial services company, and also manages a diversified investment portfolio. Since its founding, OBT has invested more than $700 million in people, places, and opportunities in the Upper Midwest. Visit: https://ottobremer.org/