Community Supports May Finally Happen in Illinois

A class action law suit has been settled in Illinois which will finally provide families with access to community supports instead of institutions.

Read more about this settlement:
Lawsuit Settlement Gives People with Disabilities More Options

The suit will finally help Illinois to catch up with most other states, which have provided funding for community-based services for people with developmental disabilities for many years. Individual states have the ability to each determine how they will deliver services that are funded, in part, by the federal government. Many states offer both institutional-based settings and community-based services. The United States moved away from institutional settings long ago and states were encouraged to provide the community-based services options which are both more effective and less costly.

Illinois families that want to access community-based services may still have an uphill climb, however. In order to provide the services such as host homes and supported living services, there needs to be service providers. While there will eventually be providers to do this work now that there is funding, it may take time for this to happen.