Transcript Document

Preparing Young Adults for
Independence:
Transition and Moving Out
Mary Scott
Transition Resource Teacher
Baltimore County Public Schools
& Annie’s mom
Diane Dressler
Program Director for Adult Training and Services
Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities
at Kennedy Krieger Institute
www.kennedykrieger.org
We believe that…
People control where and with whom they live.
People live in inclusive communities.
People choose who will best support them to
meet their goals and needs.
Environments support the person.
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Act as if it will happen
or
it will never happen!
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Steps towards the vision
Step #1: Apply for SSI upon young adult’s
18th birthday
• www.ssa.gov
• Include copies of all evaluations, assessments, school records
related to disability. Make sure that the diagnosis is clear.
• Describe the young adults needs based on his or her WORST
day.
Benefits Information/Counseling:
• Local Center for Independent Living (CIL)
• Maryland Department of Disabilities
www.mdod.maryland.gov/Disability%20Benefits%20Home.aspx
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Steps towards the vision
Step #2: Apply for Housing Choice Voucher
(Section 8) when young adult is 18.
• Apply at the public housing agency where the young adult lives
and/or works:
www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/fmr.html
• Provide a secondary contact: family member, resource
coordinator.
•
Identify applicant as a person with a disability.
• Notify the housing office of any change in
address!
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Credit
Establish credit
–Open a checking/savings account
• Not reported to credit bureaus
• Vital for lender and rental
consideration
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Credit
–Apply for credit card, personal loan
• Apply for unsecured credit first
• If denied, apply for secured credit
• Parents/guardian can designate
young adult as authorized user on
their accounts
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Credit
–Open a cell phone account
–Pay for room and board with a
check, obtain a receipt and track
payments
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Credit
Helpful websites for learning
to establish credit:
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Budgeting
Make a budget
- List all income
–List all expenses
–Include savings
–Do not exceed the SSI asset and
resource limit ($2,000)
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Steps towards the vision
Step #5: Determine your housing strategy
• Family home
• Group home
• Individual family care
• Rented room, apartment or house
• Purchase home
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Steps toward the vision
Step #5: Determine your housing strategy
• Shared home
• Informal arrangement with family or friends
• Residential supports through MHA
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Steps towards the vision
Step #6: Determine your in-home supports
strategy
• Natural supports (family, friends, neighbors)
• Paid supports
– Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA):
www.ddamaryland.org
– Medicaid Personal Care Program:
www.dhmh.state.md.us.mma/longtermcare/html/
medicaidpersonalcare
– MD Dept. of Disabilities Attendant Care Program:
www.mdod.state.md.us
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Housing Strategies
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Family home
• In-home supports
– Natural
– Paid
• Environmental modifications
– MD Technical Assistance Program
www.mdtap.org
– Dept. of Rehabilitation Services:
www.dors.state.md.us
– Dept. of Housing and Community Development:
www.mdhousing.org
– Local governments
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Group home
• Available through DDA
• Also called Alternative Living Unit (3 or fewer unrelated
persons).
• Services are funded by DDA – housing is NOT.
• Must be “DD Eligible”.
• Controlled by service provider (owned or leased).
• Choice limitations
– Where to live
– With whom to live.
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Individual Family Care
(IFC)
• Available through DDA.
• Must be “DD Eligible”.
• Person lives with a caregiver in the
caregiver’s home.
• Caregiver is trained to provide supports.
• Similar to adult foster care.
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Renting
• Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8)
• HUD Rental assistance program administered by local
public housing agencies (PHA)
– Find your local PHA here:
www.hud.gov/offices/pih/pha/contacts/states/md.cfm
• Will provide an extra bedroom (no additional rent) for a
live-in care giver if medical documentation supports the
need.
• Section 8 Made Simple:
www.tacinc.org/downloads/Sect8_2ndEd.pdf
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Renting
• Public Housing
• Through local public housing agency.
• Some counties have this, some don’t. The HUD
website provides information about PHA programs
• Project-based rental assistance
• Resources vary by local area
• Listed on www.mdhousingsearch.org
• PRA (Project Rental Assistance)
• New program – may be available 2013
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Reasonable
accommodation
“A change in rules, policies, practices,
or services so that a person with a
disability will have an equal opportunity
to use and enjoy a dwelling unit or
common space.”
• Section 504 of Rehab Act
• Fair Housing Act
• Americans with Disabilities Act
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Reasonable
accommodation
• Examples
• Extra bedroom if medical documentation
supports need
– Live-in care giver
– Medical equipment
• Additional time to transition & find unit
• Adjustment to rent payment standard
• Up to 120% FMR without special HUD permission
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Renter’s insurance
• Most landlords require renter’s insurance for tenant’s
and landlord’s protection.
• Covers household contents.
• Typical cost is $5-40 per month depending on coverage
amount, deductible and location.
• Ask family and friends for recommendations.
Explanation of renter’s insurance:
www.mdinsurance.state.md.us/sa/docs/documents/consumer/
publications/rentersinsurance.pdf
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Homeownership
• Owning a home does not affect Medicaid, SSI or SSDI
benefits!!
– Paying roommate is allowable – roommate contribution cannot
be more than an equal share of expenses (mortgage, utilities
and food).
• Homeownership for Individuals with Disabilities Program
www.dhcd.maryland.gov/Website/programs/hidp/Default.
aspx
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Shared living
• Paying roommate
• Supports in lieu of rent
• Live-in caregiver
–Section 8
–Medicaid Waiver - funding for
additional rent for care giver bedroom
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Informal arrangements
• Some families create their own in-home
support system using family and community
resources.
– Use personal resources, friends, faithbased community – whatever it takes.
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Residential supports through
Mental Hygiene Administration
• Anyone accessing MHA resources needs to have Medical
Assistance.
• Each county has a Core Service Agency that helps people
find resources.
• MHA Website: www.dhmh.maryland.gov/mha
“Navigating the Transition Years”
Maryland Coalition of Families for Children’s Mental Health
www.mdtransition.org/uploadedfiles/MHNavigation
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Finding affordable housing
• Go Section 8
www.gosection8.com
• MD Housing Search
www.mdhousingsearch.org
• Realtors, newspapers, Craig’s List
• PHA office (if person has a voucher)
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If you find a good solution
and become attached to it,
the solution may become
your next problem.
Dr. Robert Anthony
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Finding support staff
• Write a job description
–Information re: person’s interests &
activities
–Specific to support needs
• Require criminal background check; drug
test; good driving record if driving is
included in the job
• Ask for personal references
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Finding support staff
• Send job description to everyone you
know!
• Look in local community (colleges –
friends – schools – churches - social
groups) before advertising on the
Internet or in the paper
A word about care.com
www.care.com
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Finding support staff
• Have a trusted person
screen calls
• Interview in a public place
• Invite person’s friend or family
member to join the interview
• Have job applicant spend time with
person before hiring
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Form a circle of support
• Meet with family, roommate, support
staff and friends regularly to talk
about how things are going
• Use circle to problem solve
• Keep notes about decisions and
check with circle to make sure tasks
are accomplished
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And now the fun part!
• If you receive DDA-funded services, ask
about start-up funds for furnishing your
home.
• Ask family and friends to help you gather
furniture, kitchen items, linens and
accessories.
• Check thrift stores, consignment shops and
auctions for great deals.
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Making home beautiful!
• Reflect the person’s personality
• Choose favorite colors, hang favorite
pictures, enjoy the process!
• Furnishing a home:
www.ehow.com/info_8167451_list-essential-householditems.html
• Supplying a kitchen:
http://housewares.about.com/od/homeessentials/u/house
wares.htm
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A furniture and life
lesson…
Arrange whatever pieces
come your way!
Virginia Woolf
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Additional information…
• Creative Housing Solutions, LLC
http://gbcchs.com
• Kennedy Krieger Resource Finder
http://resourcefinder.kennedykrieger.org
• Technical Assistance Collaborative
www.tacinc.org
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Additional information…
• National Low Income Housing
Coalition
http://nlihc.org
• National Resource Center on
Supportive Housing and Home
Modifications
www.usc.edu/dept/gero/nrcshhm
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Additional information…
• Assistive Technology
www.mdod.maryland.gov/MTAPHome.aspx
• Maryland Housing and Disability
Services Resource Guide
www.kennedykrieger.org/sites/kki2.com/file/
housing_resource_2011update.pdf
• Maryland Community Services Locator
www.mdcsl.org
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Additional information…
• Baltimore Area Center for Independent
Living (CIL)
www.image.org
• Maryland transitioning youth website
www.mdtransition.org
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At first people refuse to believe
that a strange new thing can be done,
then they begin to hope that it can be done,
then they see it can be done –
then it is done
and all the world wonders why it was not done
centuries ago.
Frances Hodgson Burnett
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Contact Information
Mary E. Scott
Diane Dressler
Baltimore County
Public Schools
410-821-1082
[email protected]
Maryland Center for
Developmental
Disabilities at Kennedy
Krieger Institute
443-923-9555
dressler@kennedykrieger
.org
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