NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A local woman said she was told to get a divorce to get the help she needs for her son, who has Down syndrome, but that’s not where her story begins.

Video: Services For Developmentally Disabled Hard To Find

Peggy Kunkel said she started preparing for her son Henry’s graduation five years ago. She said she wanted to have a plan in place and somewhere for him to go during the day after he was out of school, but the plan didn’t work.

Kunkel’s son, Henry, a former Special Olympics athlete, is one of 6,000 developmentally disabled people on a waiting list for services. He is not independent enough to get a job and he is not considered a crisis case.

The Kunkels said they can't afford to quit working to care for him so Peggy's mother has temporarily moved in.

“It’s actually made me sick the last couple of months,” she said. “It’s very stressful.”

Kunkel said the advice that she was given by one agency was to get a divorce. If she was divorced, then Henry’s case would qualify as a crisis and he would get the service that he requires.

She said one agency told her to look for an illegal immigrant who would look after Henry during the day for a cheap price.

Tony Troiano with Mental Retardation Services said its budget prevents it from helping everyone.

“We're sympathetic to the Kunkels and sympathetic to all the people on our waiting list,” he said. “We have to do with what we have.”

Kunkel said the end to her problems may not be in sight.

“I'm really actually very angry (and) just don't see it changing,” she said.

The state said the number of people waiting on the list for services grows every year.

Officials with Tennessee's Department of Mental Retardation said it is spending twice what's considered average on each person enrolled.

Tennessee ranks 30th for the number of people waiting for services.