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Cy Arnett’s day was off to a good start. He was inserting business reply cards in an advertising mailer and enjoying every minute of it.

So why not dance?

Without much provocation, none in fact, Arnett broke into a routine of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” complete with choreography.

He finished to applause from some co-workers, a yawn from another. Some just weren’t in the mood to clap their hands.

There was work to be done, after all, at Link Associates, a 56-year-old nonprofit organization that provides a range of services to people with mental disabilities.

Arnett, 39, was pleased. He flashed the peace sign as he took a chair at a long table where workers were busy at tasks that ranged from sorting invoice cards to spinning nuts onto bolts.

He is among the 127 people working at the converted manufacturing and warehousing building at 4301 N.E. 14th St. where Link is based and out in the community at manufacturing companies, caterers, construction sites and retail stores.

In all, Link provides vocational training, rehabilitation and residential care for 805 people in Greater Des Moines, helping them achieve simple goals, such as planning and enjoying a family vacation, and the more complicated ambition of being able to support themselves.

The phone never sleeps

With an $8.7 million budget, the organization is facing the question of whether to rehabilitate its headquarters or find another building. In addition to the sprawling structure on Northeast 14th Street, Link also owns or maintains apartment units for its residential care program and other satellite offices. It operates a fleet of small buses to transport its clients from home to job sites or to work at the main office.

Linda Streit, executive director, said the organization, with a staff of about 300, is short-handed and has roughly 20 openings for case workers.

Those workers are with clients – most of whom pay for Link services through Medicaid – morning to night, making breakfast, occasionally using their vehicles to transport clients to work or appointments or to buy groceries, and helping them plan social activities and pay their bills.

Some clients require around-the-clock attention.

“We never close; my phone never goes to sleep,” Streit said.

Link is a full-service operation that, like many social service agencies, is in need of increased funding.

The decision on whether to launch a rehabilitation project or find a new location is complicated by the fact that the present location needs safety improvements, such as a $200,000 fire sprinkler system, and $3.2 million in repairs to the roof and to its heating, cooling and electrical systems, and the building has no insulation. The decision to fix or move will be based on recommendations from a committee made up of heavy hitters: Johnny Danos, Mike Tousley, James Cownie, Suku Radia, Don Lamberti, Libby Jacobs, Doug Reichardt and Kyle Krause.

About 93 percent of the agency’s budget comes from tax dollars, which are not growing, Streit said, and the balance comes from private contributions, warehousing and storage fees, rental income and maintenance services.

Streit is quick to point out that without an increase in government funds, agencies throughout the state serving more than 100,000 clients and employing 10,000 people will be hard-pressed to survive.

“It’s a pretty big force when you look at the whole picture,” Streit said. “If we’d have to close, our people wouldn’t make it an hour.”

The agencies pump about $300 million a year into the state economy in wages and the purchase of goods and services, Streit said.

Lifetime services

Link and its partner, ChildServe, provide cradle-to-grave services for people with mental disabilities.

Its workers are highly regarded in the community.

Tom Burks just celebrated his fifth year doing janitorial work for Carver Ace Hardware, 4800 University Ave. Burks was placed by Link but draws his paycheck from the hardware store. In addition to his janitorial duties, he also knows his way around the store and helps customers find what they are looking for. He is paid minimum wage.

“He’s always here and rarely calls in sick,” said assistant manager Jolene Christensen. “He lets us know in advance when he needs time off.”

Link clients who work in the community must be paid at least minimum wage. In-house workers at Link headquarters typically are paid a piece rate established by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Their work provides a valuable, often overlooked service.

For example, assembling nuts and bolts and bagging them for EFCO Corp., which manufactures concrete forms, means that workers in the field don’t have to grope around for the hardware when they are assembling forms, said Barb Lewis, senior buyer for the company.

“They’re all in one nice, tidy container for our customers or our field service representative,” Lewis said. The Link workers “do a wonderful job at a good, fair price for us, so it works well for everybody all the way around.”

Link hooks its clients up with employers and provides training in basic skills, such as sorting and organizing.

Lynn Holtzman was busy perfecting her skills operating a copying machine recently, but first she needed a little coaching.

“How many would you like printed out?” she asked Streit, and flashed a smile showing satisfaction in a job well done when she produced six copies of a document.

“Our consumers love working any time and they love real work as compared to simulated work training,” Streit said.

The simulated work environment can leave clients a little resentful of being ordered to do something that they suspect has little meaning.

“I equate it to going to college and being forced to take physics when I didn’t want to,” Streit said.

That observation was reinforced by Link client Michelle Archibald, who took a break from a mail-sorting job to make this observation: “We need lots more good-paying jobs.”

Welcome to the world of work.