Understanding Community Living Supports in the Self-Determination Program

The Self-Determination Program (SDP) in California is an acknowledgment of the importance of Regional Center customers’ autonomy when choosing services. Through the principles of person-centered planning, SDP participants have a lot of power to hire staff and service providers based on the allotment in their individual budgets.

A key part of the SDP is helping participants—qualifying Californians with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDDs)—become as independent as they would like to be. One of the most utilized SDP service categories participants use in this endeavor is classified as Community Living Supports. In this article, we’ll provide you with a more detailed explanation of these particular services and how they may benefit you.

What Are Community Living Support Services?

According to the SDP service definitions, Community Living Supports “facilitate independence and promote community integration for participants, regardless of the community living arrangement.”

In the context of California’s SDP, you should understand that “community living arrangement” does NOT include long-term licensed healthcare facilities. Individuals who live in these places, which include State Development Centers, are not eligible for the SDP. Instead, “community living arrangement” refers to the ways the SDP can help participants independently engage and be part of their own residential communities.

Specific SDP Community Living Support Services

The exact nature of community living assistance services and supports will vary depending on the participant’s needs and goals. Some common ways participants utilize SDP Community Living Supports include:

• Services that help them complete activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing, preparing meals, taking prescribed medications, and dressing themselves.
• Ways to help them have robust social lives; these may include assistance with self-control, self-awareness, and interpersonal relationships.
• Home maintenance services that aim to keep the participant’s dwelling sanitary and safe. Such support services run the gamut from personal financial education to furniture arrangement and minor repairs that are the responsibility of participants.
• Services to help participants care for their children.

Community Living Supports may be extended for participants who live in controlled residential settings, but participants must maintain a certain level of responsibility for their dwelling units. More specifically, participants must:

• Own keys to their residential unit;
• Have the option of roommates;
• Be able to set their own daily activities;
• Have 24/7 access to food; and
• Be able to furnish their residential units with furniture and other features of their choosing.

Unless in rare circumstances, participants may not use Community Living Support funds for rent or mortgage payments. 

Let NeuroNav Guide You Through the Complexities of the SDP

Community living services and supports can be incredibly helpful for California SDP participants, but understanding how best to use funds from your individual budget can force you to make some tough choices when it comes to choosing assistance. Maximizing your individual budget and individual program plan (IPP) is something an experienced independent facilitator can help with, and NeuroNav would be honored to fill that role for you.

We have two service packages: one for those already in the SDP and one designed to help eligible Californians enter it. Our caring staff will advocate for you at every critical juncture so you can get the most out of the SDP. Want to discuss your options over a free consultation?