All centers are required to provide what are called in the Rehabilitation Act and the regulations in 45 CFR 1329 (definitions) “core services”. Those services are:
Independent living core services mean, for purposes of services that are supported under the ILS or CIL programs –
(1) Information and referral services;
(2) Independent Living skills training;
(3) Peer counseling, including cross-disability peer counseling;
(4) Individual and systems advocacy;
(5) Services that:
(i) Facilitate the transition of individuals with significant disabilities from nursing homes and other institutions to home and community-based residences, with the requisite supports and services. This process may include providing services and supports that a consumer identifies are needed to move that person from an institutional setting to community based setting, including systems advocacy required for the individual to move to a home of his or her choosing;
(ii) Provide assistance to individuals with significant disabilities who are at risk of entering institutions so that the individuals may remain in the community. A determination of who is at risk of entering an institution should include self-identification by the individual as part of the intake or goal-setting process; and
(iii) Facilitate the transition of youth who are individuals with significant disabilities, who were eligible for individualized education programs under section 614(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1414(d)), and who have completed their secondary education or otherwise left school, to postsecondary life. Individuals who have reached the age of 18 and are still receiving services in accordance with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) under IDEA have not “completed their secondary education.
Sometimes centers are surprised to learn that there is more. With the caveat that any services provided must be consistent with the philosophy in Title 7 of the act, and that centers must be “non-residential”, which provides context for anything related to housing, Title 1 Section 7(18)(B) includes the following:
18) INDEPENDENT LIVING SERVICES.—The term ‘‘independent living services’’ includes—
(i) counseling services, including psychological, psychotherapeutic, and related services;
(ii) services related to securing housing or shelter, including services related to community group living, and supportive of the purposes of this Act and of the titles of this Act, and adaptive housing services (including appropriate accommodations to and modifications of any space used to serve, or occupied by, individuals with disabilities);
(iii) rehabilitation technology;
(iv) mobility training;
(v) services and training for individuals with cognitive and sensory disabilities, including life skills training, and interpreter and reader services;
(vi) personal assistance services, including attendant care and the training of personnel providing such services;
(vii) surveys, directories, and other activities to identify appropriate housing, recreation opportunities, and accessible transportation, and other support services;
(viii) consumer information programs on rehabilitation and independent living services available under this Act, especially for minorities and other individuals with disabilities who have traditionally been unserved or underserved by programs under this Act;
(ix) education and training necessary for living in a community and participating in community activities;
(x) supported living;
(xi) transportation, including referral and assistance for such transportation and training in the use of public
transportation vehicles and systems;
(xii) physical rehabilitation;
(xiii) therapeutic treatment;
(xiv) provision of needed prostheses and other appliances and devices;
(xv) individual and group social and recreational services;
(xvi) training to develop skills specifically designed for youths who are individuals with disabilities to promote self-awareness and esteem, develop advocacy and self-empowerment skills, and explore career options;
(xvii) services for children;
(xviii) services under other Federal, State, or local programs designed to provide resources, training, counseling, or other assistance, of substantial benefit in enhancing the
independence, productivity, and quality of life of individuals with disabilities;(xix) appropriate preventive services to decrease the need of individuals assisted under this Act for similar services in the future;
(xx) community awareness programs to enhance the understanding and integration into society of individuals with disabilities; and
(xxi) such other services as may be necessary and not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act.
Your center’s strategic and/or work plan should address which of these you provide and how you approach those services.