Gloria Fahnbulleh of Hammer Residences & NER is Minnesota’s direct support professional of the year. She and other DSPs were honored in April at a ceremony in San Diego.
The ceremony was hosted by American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR). ANCOR has 2,500 members around the nation. For more than half a century the nonprofit has worked to shape policy and share solutions to strengthen the ability of community.
Hammer & NER (formerly Northeast Residence) nominated Fahnbulleh. She is one of more than 500 nominees from around the United States. Each state has an honoree. A top DSP nationwide is also honored, and other special awards are given.
Hammer & NER is a nonprofit organization with a combined 150 years of experience. It provides housing and supportive services across the Twin Cities to adults with intellectual and other disabilities. Fahbulleh supports four women at one of its homes in Plymouth.
“Hammer & NER is so proud of Gloria,” said CEO John Estrem. “We are thrilled to celebrate her award, which represents her incredible work and dedication that enables true community inclusion for the people we support. We’re grateful that ANCOR has recognized Gloria with this national honor.”
Hammer & NER called Fhanbulleh a “shining example of how compassion, dedication and person-centeredness can empower those we serve to live more meaningful and self-directed lives. You have not only touched the lives of those you support – you inspire everyone around you.”
Fahnbulleh’s event biography stated:
“Gloria is instrumental in helping her program exceed expectations. Gloria engages the women she supports in productive activities and personal goals by planning outings and making them aware of community events. She organizes experiences through Project SOAR for the ladies to participate in movie night with pizza, pop, and a picture show, and game night by playing bingo with others in the community, where they get to socialize and meet new friends. Gloria collaborates during staff meetings and makes suggestions that can better support the people she serves. Gloria has received warm compliments from other residential managers that make her organization proud of her work ethic—not only here but also in the community.”
ANCOR is a national advocacy organization for the disability services community and a leading voice in Washington for community-based disability services providers. Each year, the organization selects one nominee from each state as a DSP of the Year. Since 2007, ANCOR’s annual DSP of the Year awards recognize outstanding workers who deliver long-term services and supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The awards celebrate the important role DSPs play in ensuring people with disabilities have what they need to thrive, and be included in the community.
The awards are also intended to raise awareness about a direct support workforce in crisis. Inadequate investments in this essential workforce have led to a decades-long severe shortage of DSPs, which risks being exacerbated significantly as Congress weighs substantial cuts to Medicaid. Medicaid is the program the funds the vast majority of services delivered by the direct support workforce.
