Independent Living For People With Disabilities Gets $7.5 Million Boost

By Michelle Diament January 7, 2011 Text Size  A  A

Nearly 1,000 Americans with disabilities will be able to leave institutions and move into the community, federal officials said Thursday, thanks to a first-of-its-kind initiative providing both housing assistance and support services.

The program is the result of a unique partnership between the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Health and Human Services. Together the agencies will provide $7.5 million worth of rental assistance vouchers in addition to health care and support services to ensure that community living is truly possible.

Katie Bekett - Independent Living

It started with a 3-year-old girl in a hospital and the president who was angered when he learned that federal rules prevented her from going home.

By what sense do we have a regulation in government that says we'll pay $6,000 a month to keep someone in a hospital that we believe would be better off at home, but the family cannot afford one-sixth that amount to keep them at home?

- President Ronald Reagan, Nov. 10, 1981

The president was Ronald Reagan. The girl, Katie Beckett, had contracted viral encephalitis, a brain infection, when she was just five months old. She'd gone into a coma for ten days, and when she came out she suffered a paralysis that left her unable to breathe without the help of a ventilator most of the day.

After more than two years living in St. Luke's Methodist Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the family reached the limit of what its private insurance would pay for Katie's care. Medicaid, the state and federal health insurance for the needy, started picking up the cost of that expensive breathing machine and other care.

But Medicaid would pay only as long as the little girl lived in the pediatric intensive care unit at the hospital.

Beckett's parents, Julie and Mark, said they wanted their daughter at home. The girl's doctors agreed, saying she needed to grow up in a more normal environment than a hospital room.

Independent Living for People with a Disability

There are several living options for people with special needs regardless of whether the person has developmental disabilities, a brain injury, a physical limitation or is aging.  Knowing what is available and what’s been done in the past will help in choosing the right option for you and your loved one.

Following is a list of several traditional and creative living situations that provide varying levels of disabled support.  Later BLOGs will go into more detail on these different options but here is a basic overview, please post any independent living options you are aware of or would like us to investigate in future BLOGs.

1. Keeping your special needs loved one at home is a common choice.

At home you’ll know your loved one is well taken care of, many parents feel their disabled child (now adult) is their responsibility and don’t entertain the option of living outside the family home especially if the child is severely impaired.

Keeping a disabled loved one at home requires PLANNING to ensure that you can continue giving care without burning out. Also, that if for some reason you are unable to care for your loved one, there are supports in place.

2. Community Housing-Adult Foster Care (AFC) Homes

Adult foster care homes are a common living choice for people with disabilities.  AFC homes provide 24 hours 7 days a week care for residents.

There are many different AFC homes. The functional levels of the residents determine how most homes are organized.  When looking at AFC homes, try to find one with residents that are similar ages and levels of function to your loved one.

AFC homes often have community activities and socialization opportunities for the residents.  The socialization and recreational opportunities that AFC homes provide are a major benefit that many special needs residents truly enjoy.  Check and see if the home you are interested in has these options available.

Transitioning into an AFC home can be difficult for both the parent and the young adult.  Most AFC homes will allow prospective residents stay for an hour or two or a weekend prior to moving in.  Many people with special needs try a few different AFC’s on the weekends before deciding which AFC home is the best fit.

To find out more information on AFC homes contact your county’s branch of Community Mental Health.  Not all people with special needs are eligible for this type of service, however, if you are denied; it is your right to seek a second opinion. Don’t give up without a fight!  Know your rights, entitlements, and services available to you.   The following link lists rights and entitlements for Michigan residents. Click here to see Riverwood's support & services.

Click here to go to the link to AFC options in Michigan.

Creative Options

1. Parent Run Assisted Living.

On the east side of the grand state of Michigan, a few families got together and decided to share the responsibility among them.  Together, they rented an apartment for their three sons, all with special needs.  They take turns checking in on the boys, making meals, making sure that proper medicine is given, and overall safety.