Our second annual Transition Summit, which this year focused on the topic of housing, was held on Saturday, April 9, at the Hoffman Estates Village Hall. The popularity of this event (a complete sellout) indicates the high level of interest in and need for both traditional and creative housing models in our area.
Ed McManus of McManus Consulting began the day with a Housing 101 presentation which covered residential services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the State of Illinois. Ed discussed a variety of Community Integrated Living Arrangements (24-hour versus intermittent, shift staff versus host family) as well as Intermediate Care Facilities, State-Operated Developmental Centers, Children’s Group Homes and Community Living Facilities. He also covered the processes for obtaining services and the eligibility criteria for those services.
For our Parent Perspective presentations, we invited four different families to share their experiences with creative housing models. We always find parents who are in the trenches doing the difficult work to be the most inspirational and this group didn’t disappoint. Leading off was Laurie Jerue who shared information about her daughter’s 1-person CILA. Laurie also talked about the importance of the ICAP score (Inventory for Client and Agency Planning) and provided a Top-10 List of things for families to consider before they receive CILA funding. Next up was Ellen McManus who discussed her family’s experiences with the Shared Living Host Family model. This 24-hour CILA model features two individuals living with a caregiver who also lives in the home. Matt Koupal talked about his family’s plan to turn their home into a CILA for their son (and three future roommates) while he and his wife move into a new addition that they are building as a completely separate living space. The home will then be rented to an area service provider who will provide the staff while the Koupals will serve as on-site property managers. Finally, Laura and Ed Drower provided an overview of their unique family building model. The Drowers have purchased a four-flat in the city that will serve as their new family home; two of the units are being converted into one where Laura and Ed will live while their two sons will each have their own unit. This project is self-funded. Thank you to all these parents for sharing their stories. They are role models for us all!
After a brief lunch break, we welcomed Joe Corriero-Connors and his Case Manager from Community Alternatives Unlimited, Cynthia Foster. Together Joe and Cynthia talked about the supportive living possibilities available through Section 8 housing and the Statewide Referral Network (SRN). The SRN helps link vulnerable populations, who are already connected to services, to affordable, available supportive housing. Thanks to this program, Joe was able to move into his own apartment in 2015. More information on the Statewide Referral Network and ilhousingsearch can be found at http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=77416 and http://www.ilhousingsearch.org.
Ray Chase, President of STARS Family Services (SFS), next shared with us their mission to provide living arrangements and related services to adults with disabilities. Affiliated with College Church in Wheaton, SFS is a separate nonprofit organization that currently operates three homes, each with a resident Community Builder and supported by a Life Skills Supervisor. SFS seeks to help their “STARS” develop the life skills needed for independent or semi-independent living. You can find out more about STARS Family Services at http://www.starsfamilyservices.org.
We next welcomed Center for Independent Futures (CIF) Executive Director Ann Sickon, Marketing/Communications Manager Jackie Eddy, and Parent Bonnie Dohogne. Founded by parents, CIF has a vision for the future where individuals with disabilities have access to all opportunities of a full life. Ann talked about their Core Values and Full Life Model as well as some of their Community Living Option (CLO) residences which provide disabled individuals with the supports they need to live independently. Ann also highlighted their New Futures Initiative, a four-part, year-long training series that provides families with a step-by-step guide toward housing solutions. To learn more about CIF, visit their website at http://www.independentfutures.com.
Our final presenter of the day was John Fallon, Senior Program Manager for CSH. Funded by a grant from the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, CSH is an influential advocate for supportive housing. John covered aspects of the 1999 Olmstead decision and stressed the importance of flexible, person-centered services that maximize choice (including the option to live alone) and minimize segregation. John also talked about the Supportive Housing Workbook which was created to assist families in developing supportive housing in their own community. You can access the Workbook here: http://www.csh.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/IDD-Family-Supportive-Housing-Workbook.pdf
Videos from this event will be posted to YouTube as they become available. Here’s what we have so far:
Ed’s presentation can be viewed at https://youtu.be/IF8US05aFPk
Laurie’s presentation can be viewed at https://youtu.be/sdFlYq64N0o
Ellen’s presentation can be viewed at https://youtu.be/cboXK5igHSU
Matt’s presentation can be viewed at https://youtu.be/VkqiAS7Ze-U
Laura & Ed’s presentation can be viewed at https://youtu.be/T_DDB1wkPNU
Joe & Cynthia’s presentation can be viewed at https://youtu.be/zJ0i8JBY0ns
Ray’s presentation can be viewed at https://youtu.be/dMyHPk2ewrc
Ann’s presentation can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oO9nvzXNac
John’s presentation can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP1Mx-alIIg
If you would like copies of any of the PowerPoints from this event, please send your request to ConnectToCommunityInc@gmail.com.
This event would not have been possible without the support of the following:
- Event Co-Sponsors: The Hoffman Estates Commission for Disabled Citizens and the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization (NSSEO)
- Palatine Township and the Rotary Club of Palatine who provide grant funding for our Educational Outreach series
- The Village of Hoffman Estates
- Michelle Pilafas
- Photographer Mona Morrison and Videographer Ric Signorella
- Hoffman Estates Jewel-Osco Stores
- Einstein Bagels of Barrington
- Super Volunteer Karlee Darow
Thank you to all!
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