By Edita McQuary
An obviously homeless person wheeling an over-flowing shopping cart with all his worldly goods ambles past us. “Why is our community not able to help him?” we wonder. But there is help. One such helping agency is Imagine Supported Living Services in Capitola.
Since 2002, Imagine Supported Living Services, a local 501(c) (3) non-profit agency, has been helping persons with developmental disabilities live in their own residences with the help of paid in-house support services. Their clients are referred by the San Andreas Regional Center, (SARC) a private 501 (c) 3 non-profit funded and regulated by the California Department of Developmental Services.
“Persons with developmental disabilities” is the correct term for such diagnoses as autism, cerebral palsy, seizure disorder, intellectual disability, and other similar disorders. The terms “developmentally
disabled” or “mentally retarded” are no longer used.
The staff of the San Andreas Regional Center interviews each person, studies their medical records, and then through a separate “Individual Program Plan (IPP)” process determines for which sort of services the client is eligible. If the client is found eligible for residential in-home supported living services, he or she can be referred to Imagine Supported Living Services or one of the seven other such agencies in Santa Cruz County.
According to Imagine SLS Director of Services Julie Ross, the in-home supported living program consists of a variety of services provided according to the individual care needs of the client. This is not what we often think of as the communal living residential home but rather it is living in a private apartment/home.
The in-home help can be for any number of hours (or days) per week. It can even be for 24/7 care. At this time, Imagine has 70-75 care-providing employees who serve 20 clients each week.
In-home support can be physical help with activities of daily living such as cooking, grocery shopping, bill paying, house cleaning, etc., depending on each individual client’s needs. The care providers are specially trained by the Imagine SLS staff in how to care for the special needs type of person they will be helping.
Julie was excited to let the public know about a new program. It is their “Family Home Program,” where developmentally disabled persons are matched with a family and live in their home as part of the family.
The family home providers receive pay monthly and get two monthly payments. One is a monthly payment to the family for renting out one of their bedrooms to the person.
The other monthly payment is a tax-excludable stipend for providing the car. All adult members in the prospective family have to undergo a background check.
They also must undergo approximately 40 hours of specialized training in how to cope with the particular individual’s personality and needs. “Additional training is given to help the families deal with any challenges that arise, improve their service or strengthen as a blended family. Also, they get 24-hour back-up support in case of emergency with the client,” Julie said.
They already have two individuals placed in local homes and hope to have more as people in the community learn about and start participating in this innovative program. If you are a family interested taking in a person with specialized needs, please contact Imagine Supported Living Services at 1395 41st Avenue, Suite A, Capitola, telephone 831.464.8355 or online http://imaginesls.org.
Since there is never enough money to support all the people in the community Imagine SLS would like to help, they also do community fund-raising. They participate in the Human Race; they hold a Film Festival in September at the Museum of Art and History; they apply for grants, and also accept private donations. When you see an advertisement for one of these events, be assured that your participation/donation is going to make Santa Cruz County a better community for those most in need, our persons with developmental disabilities.
“We are here to help adults with developmental disabilities live comfortably in our community and to help Santa Cruz County to live comfortably in its diversity,” says Doug Pascover, Executive Director.
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Imagine Supported Living Services 1395 41st Ave, Capitola, CA 95010 (831) 464-8355 Website: imaginesls.org