Senate hearing on local group home closures

(ABC 6 News) – At the Minnesota capitol Tuesday, lawmakers heard arguments about 10 group homes in the Rochester area that are set to close.

"Cardinal of Minnesota," a long-term care provider in Minnesota for people with disabilities, is facing the possible closure of 10 of its group homes.

Staff said they have been experiencing extreme staffing shortages that caused them to downsize.

"We are projecting a 10 percent vacancy in our workforce again down from the 30 percent that they saw last summer. We believe that downsizing was a pretty drastic move, but also sort of a short term bridge the gap decision to be able to remain sustainable as an organization as a provider and continue to serve as many people as possible," Michelle Priggen, the CEO of Cardinal of Minnesota, said.

The closures would affect 24 individuals currently utilizing cardinal of Minnesota’s services.

The homes are set to close on March 5.