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THE JOURNEY TO COMMUNITY HOUSING WITH SUPPORTS
!SSURING 1UALITY
The purpose of this housing guide is to describe traditional and innovative ways in which to receive housing and residential supports. Individuals and guardians make many more choices and decisions regarding how they or their loved ones receive services. It is important to know the options that exist and continuously evaluate service delivery quality. The size and location of the home can affect isolation. It is important to consider elements that influence the quality of life. Do I feel safe and have access to the services I need? Do I have caring people nearby? How many will be living together? Who signs the lease? Is the service provider also the property owner? What happens if I am not happy with a staff member? Who hires/fires the staff? What opportunities exist to interact with people who do not have disabilities? These components are important in deciding what model works best. These factors alone are not sufficient to determine satisfaction. There are elements of quality that must be evaluated by each person and extend beyond these individual features. For some, living in their own scattered site apartment is an ideal situation. For others, it might be lonely, if there are not enough opportunities to have meaningful interactions with friends. For others, living with friends in a small communal setting can be very satisfying, particularly if they can choose their housemates. If choices are available, the individual and his family or advocates should research the options to decide which types of supports and settings best suit him/her. Having a stable service provider that respects self-direction and choice is very important. The CMS Final Rule on Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) listed factors that could lead to isolation. This list intentionally consists of
settings that include more individuals with disabilities than the population as a whole. The intention behind this position is so that “HCBS programs provide full access to the benefits of community living and offer services in the most integrated settings.” For more information visit WWWSTATE NJUSHUMANSERVICESDMAHSINFOHCBS?TRANSHTML . CMS and the NJ Department of Human Services will not fund services that do not comply with these requirements. Choice and community integration are values held dear by people within the disability community and one essential means of measuring quality. Ultimately, each person must decide what he/she prefers and evaluate the quality based upon his/ her own criteria. Resources are available to assist individuals and their families to identify quality indicators in residential services. For example, you can contact Autism New Jersey’s Helpline 800.4.AUTISM or information@autismnj.org for a list of quality indicators in residential settings. Several toolkits and resources are also available and referenced in the Appendix. Not all residential settings require a license. There are advantages and disadvantages of licensing. In a provider operated setting, the oversight by a state license offers some basic assurance of quality as well as recourse, if dissatisfied. Some individuals feel it is an imposition to meet the many tedious requirements of having a licensing inspection of their living quarters. To assess quality, individuals and their families must determine what factors are important to them, assess what they are receiving and advocate for improvements that are needed. Each person measures quality of life objectively and subjectively based upon one’s own perspective. What factors/questions/services are important to you and your loved one? Through a Person Centered Planning process, each person develops an Individualized Service Plan (ISP) that identifies his or her goals and objectives. This document can serve as a basis upon which to evaluate quality of life.
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