Adults with developemental disabilites have more living options to choose from now than ever before.  You can continue to live in your family home.  If you want to live away from your family but not be completely on your own, you might want to try living in a licensed home.  If you want to be more on your own than is possible in a licensed home, you can choose to live with some supports in an apartment, a condo, or a house.  You may live alone, or with one or more friends or roommates, or with a loved one. 

Supported Living

Supported living services provide the help people with disabilities need to live as independently as possible in the community in their own home, apartment, or condo.  Any adult, regardless of his level or type of disability, is eligible for supported living.  The two main requirements are that he is at least 18 years of age and he has enough income each month to pay for his rent, utilities, food, and other regular costs of living. 

Supported living instruction helps people learn skills they need to get along in their home and in the community.  These skills include cooking, house cleaning, and using public transport, stores, and other community resources.  In areas where the person may not be able to master the necessary skill — for example, balancing a checkbook or maintaining his health — supported living instructors provide ongoing support.  People in supported living are also helped to develop a natural support network of people, including friends and family, who can supplement the support provided by the paid supported living instructor. 

For further information on supported living especially for adult clients, refer to the HRC publication, Living On Your Own: A Guide to Supported Living Services. The video for parents, Welcome Home, is also available in the HRC Resource Center.

HOPE

HRC also offers a special program, called Home Ownership for Personal Empowerment (HOPE) that provides affordable housing options for people who choose supported living. HOPE buys residential properties - single family homes, duplexes, and condominiums - fixes them up, and rents them at below market rates to HRC clients. This program is described in the HRC Video, HOPE - Being On Your Own.

Licensed Homes

Licensed living options provide supervised living arrangements for adults with developmental disabilities other than in the person's own home or the home of his family. Options include foster homes, group homes, and health care homes that offer specialized care for people with physical or medical challenges.  A description of each of these options is available in the HRC publication,  Its All About Options – Living Alternatives For Adults.