State officials give positive assessment of men from Atalissa bunkhouse

DES MOINES - State officials gave an upbeat report Monday about men removed from a bunkhouse in Atalissa earlier this year after they were found to be living in substandard conditions.

A total of 21 men with mental retardation were found by state officials in February to be living in what Gov. Chet Culver called a "deplorable" situation. When the men left the home in Atalissa, some of them were found to be malnourished.

Most of the men are now living in Waterloo under the care of Exceptional Persons, Inc.

The men had worked for Texas-based Henry's Turkey Service and had part of their wages deducted for housing and other services.

A criminal probe into the situation is underway and the company is facing at least $900,000 in possible fines for alleged state labor violations.

Charles Krogmeier, director of the Iowa Department of Human Services, said all of the men that remain in Iowa have settled into an apartment or home. Some made plans to move to a house together.

"In general, the case managers report that they're doing relatively well, and actually, very well in many cases, compared to what they were involved with a few months ago," Krogmeier told a task force studying the state's laws and policies related to dependent adults with mental retardation.

Many of the men are involved in church and other social activities in Waterloo, Krogmeier said.

Three of the men have returned to Texas. Some have indicated their wish to return to Texas and are in the process of locating services and or family members there, Krogmeier said.

The men also have received dental checkups, physicals, hearing, vision and other medical services, Krogmeier said.

"A few have ongoing needs, but most of them have been taken care of," Krogmeier said.

Of those now in Waterloo, 14 of them have indicated they want to work and have been placed in some type of work setting or program to help transition them into work, while others have indicated they want to retire.

John McCalley, director of the Iowa Department on Aging, said the latest report on the men who came from Atalissa has been encouraging.

McCalley, who is leading the task force on dependent adult issues, is pleased that the men had been matched with job opportunities or programs.

"We know that that's vitally important to success in anybody's life, so that was particularly noteworthy," McCalley said.

McCalley also was pleased to hear the men had been reunited with possessions that had been left behind when the bunkhouse was shut down.

"Possessions help define a home, and we want individuals, of course, to feel like they're at home," McCalley said.