BELFAST – In the City of Belfast, the lives of hundreds of people with disabilities, their families, employers and caretakers have been disrupted by the planned closing of group homes and the recent shutdown of the factory that once employed many of them. As your elected officials, we are committed to ensuring these Mainers get the assistance they need and are able to remain in the place they have called home for so long.

For 40 years, Mainers with cognitive, intellectual and developmental disabilities have been living and thriving at the Group Home Foundation which housed them at three residential units in Belfast. Since 1997, that same organization employed as many as 240 people with disabilities at Little River Apparel Manufacturing, producing protective clothing for the U.S. military.

In the last few weeks, the factory has closed after completing a final round of layoffs, and the Group Home Foundation has announced the residential facilities would also be shutting down.

The group home residents are well-known in the community. Some of these residents are married and many have enjoyed daily contact with friends from all over the City. They have helped define Belfast's heart and identity. These residential facilities provided services, stability and predictability for those who need it most, in many cases allowing them to lead independent lives.

As your elected officials of Waldo County and the City of Belfast, we are committed to doing everything possible to save these vital services and, at the very least, take care of those who benefit from them.

This week, Senate President Michael Thibodeau, R-Waldo, convened a meeting in his office with Representative Erin Herbig, D-Belfast, DHHS Commissioner Mary Mayhew, Maine Labor Commissioner Jeanne Paquette, Gary Wolcott Director of Aging and Disability Services, Belfast Mayor Walter Ash, City Manager Joe Slocum, City Council members Mary Mortier, Neal Harkness and John Arrison to discuss the crisis.

What emerged from that meeting were both long and short-term solutions. Volunteers of America and BFLI have stepped up and agreed to temporarily run the group homes so those with the most severe disabilities will get the attention they need.

In the long term, DHHS's Office of Aging and Disability Services will provide weekly updates on the status of the residents, doing their best to find providers who can house them in the Belfast area so they can remain part of the community.

The Maine Department of Labor will assist the former employees of Little River Apparel, ensuring they receive wages still owed to them, and by reaching out to area employers to see what opportunities exist for those who were laid off.

What happened early this month is a setback for these Belfast residents who mean so much to our community, but working together we can ensure they get the help they need during this transitional time.

Senator Michael Thibodeau is the President of the Maine Senate.

Rep. Erin Herbig serves as House Chairperson on the Legislature's Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee.

Walter Ash is the Mayor of Belfast.