Real Choice Systems Change

The Indiana Waiver Services is a new unit created in Jan ‘04, to consolidate the management and operation of Indiana’s eight HCBS Waivers. Attached are documents that provide a program overview. The Services Unit Summary describes the program; the Priority Diversion Guidelines details the individual criteria for priority diversion; the Waiver Services Organizational Chart provides a pictorial overview; and the Hoosiers at Home Press Release announces the programs goals.

Developed by Carla Pope at the Iowa Finance Authority, this document briefly describes several financial resource options to be used for the development of affordable housing.

A compilation of housing and financial terms used by housing finance agencies developed by Carla Pope, Director of Service Enriched Housing at the Iowa Finance Authority.

The New Freedom Initiative, announced in February 2001, called for a comprehensive assessment of federal policies, programs, statutes, and regulations to identify barriers that impede community living for disabled individuals—and for recommended solutions. In October 2004 CMS awarded an additional $30 million in Real Choice Systems Change Grants—this money in addition to the 188 grants for over $158 million between fiscal years 2001-03. This report highlights accomplishments of those programs.

Medstat identified common factors of system change in a six-page brief, based on a review of organization transformation literature and, more importantly, the experiences of eight state long-term support systems that were the subject of a series of case studies on comprehensive system reform.

The Centers on Medicare and Medicaid Services awarded a three year contract to the Topeka Independent Living Resource Center (TILRC) to provide technical assistance to the Consumer Task Forces Real Choice system change grant projects. In doing this, CMS highlighted the contributions that consumers can and must make to the success of the grants and to increasing access to community living services more generally. This website offers a list of grant projects, tip sheets and survey tools.

The mission of the Maine Personal Assistance Services Association is to build recognition and opportunity for the direct care, direct support, and personal assistance workforce through education, professional development, and public awareness. The website offers a list of upcoming events, a newsletter, and other resources.

The Real Choice Systems Change grant was awarded in 2002 to the Connecticut Department of Social Services. The project has two primary goals: 1) To build the capacity within the state of Connecticut to support informed decision making, independent living, and a meaningful quality of life for persons with disabilities across the life span. 2) To assist three communities in Connecticut to become models of support for opportunities and choices for persons with disabilities across the lifespan.

Expanding upon the \"lessons learned\" from the first Model Communities forum held in Connecticut in May 2004, this Community Inclusion forum held in Ridgefield CT brought together a variety of communities interested in \"enhancing awareness among community members of the barriers faced by people with disabilities in becoming fully included & integrated into communities.\" Participants identified barriers to inclusion and suggested numerous strategies communities can use to address these issues.

On May 25, 2004 representatives from seven Connecticut towns gathered at the University of Connecticut A.J. Pappanikou Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities in Farmington to share ideas and experiences related to the inclusion of people with disabilities in the life of their communities. In attendance were representatives from the Model Communities of Bridgeport, Groton and New Haven, as well as four other community representatives from municipalities not selected for funding.