where is my child going to live? creating not just a house but a home texas transition conference...
TRANSCRIPT
Where is my child going to live?
Creating not just a house but a home
Texas Transition Conference 2011
Rosemary Alexander, PhD
What is your ideal home? Safe Comfortable and friendly Convenient Within my budget Provides supports as needed Opportunities for friendship and learning
A house + supports A home is not just a house It's a system of supports A place for relationships, learning, caring,
work, recreation, fun It's integrated into a community
Overall long-term goal:
A home for our children that is Sustainable after parents are gone Provides safety Is the basis for high quality of life
What are the options for a place to live? A continuum:
Institutional settings Group homes Dedicated communities Family/foster family Shared residence
Institutional settings Residents: Large number Staff: large number on shifts Owner: state—a public facility Paid for: by the state Decision makers: the state
Group homes Residents: 4-6 Staff: small number, 24 hour awake staff Owner: private provider Paid for: State through MHMR, Medicaid Decision makers: the state, private
provider
Dedicated communities
Residents: any #, say 10-200 Staff: appropriate ratio, live there Owner: privately owned Paid for: public + private Decision makers: owner, provider,
individuals, community
Family/foster family Residents: family sized, natural mix of
people Staff: family, lives there, helpers in & out Owner: family, owns or rents Paid for: private + public, individual Decision makers: family, individuals
Shared residence Residents: natural mix of 1-3 people Staff: family or just individuals, with
helpers in & out Owner: individuals or family, owns or
rents Paid for: private + public, individual Decision makers: individuals, household
Public owned vs. private owned
PublicLess work for parent, more stable
More behavioral or medical supports
Lower costs
Less choice or control, less individualized
Arbitrary placement, not necessarily based on relationships
PrivateMore work for parent
Higher risk of falling apart
More costly
More individualized, more choice, more control
More natural environment and numbers
Family-like, based on relationships
Examples: group homes ICFMR—Intermediate Care Facility—6 +
residents HCS--provided by the Medicaid Waiver
Program Home and Community–based Services, maximum of 4 residents
Examples: dedicated communities
Down Home Ranch, near Austin (40 residents, 20 with disabilities)
Marbridge Ranch, near Austin (6 cottages of 14 each , a dorm, a nursing home)
New Danville, near Houston (planning stages, many faceted)
Examples: family/foster family HCS Foster family model—HCS Wavier
Program pays a family to care for a person with a disability, either own parent or another family
Shared parenting through CLASS program
Examples: shared residences Lawrence, Kansas, the Turnbull's son
lived in a house purchased through Section 8 Housing, shared with students from nearby university for 20 years
Austin home, purchased by parent, 3 residents, using waivers creatively to provide supports
Parent to Parent Co-op housing
A small group of parents with similar needs for their children, create a living environment where expenses, values, staff are shared
House rented or owned
Responsibilities coordinated and shared by parents
Alternative to a group home
Renting Foundation Communities for low-income
housing in Austin/Dallas-Ft Worth Mary Lee Foundation Section 8 Housing, run by HUD and local
public housing authority, rent subsidy Jointly renting a house or apartment, use
SSI to pay rent
Owning your home HOYO—Home of Your Own Habitat for Humanity Inheriting parent's home Jointly owning a house Section 8 Housing and other programs
may provide assistance to 1st time buyers
Co-housing (cohousing.org) Kaleidoscope Village—Austin, private
homes with shared community, resources Generations of Hope—Illinois, for foster
and adoptive families, retirees Henns of Ohio gained control of an HCS
owned and operated home through a parent advisory board
Intentional community Way to share resources, create social
opportunity, often based on a common belief or purpose
L'Arche—family-like homes where people with and without disabilities share their lives together
L'Arche
...persons with disabilities possess inherent qualities of welcome, wonderment, spirituality, and friendship...L’Arche believes that these qualities, expressed through vulnerability and simplicity, actually make those with a disability our real teachers about what is most important in life: to love and to be loved.
Where to startBe sure your child is set to access the
resources that are available: SSI/Medicaid at age 18: less than $2000
in liquid assets (special needs trust?) Contact local mental health authority Child's name on the Medicaid Waiver
Program waiting lists; if on the list already, know what number
Where to start
Use the school years for your child to learn independent living skills social skills vocational skills academic skills
Where to start
Create a vision for your child's future
Learn about models, local and beyond
Join or start parent groups focused on home issues
Share your vision with your general community