As we all embark on what promises to be a most interesting year, I want to share some of the activities the Inclusive Housing Coalition (IHC) will work on in the areas of Advocacy, Projects, and Organizational Building.
IHC has defined specific goals that address issue areas to further the support and development of neuro-inclusive housing in Colorado for people with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities (A/I/DD). Our advocacy efforts, along with state government, local governments and other non-profit organizations, will focus on these issues, among other priorities that are identified on our website, which can be viewed here: IHC Goals. The following briefly summarizes a few of those goals.
There remains a shortage of affordable housing in Colorado for all people, even with a generous definition of households earning as much as 100% or in some cases 120% of the area median income. The lack of affordable housing is even more acute for individuals with A/I/DD who often require a more inclusive and service supported environment. The problem becomes even more critical when we consider that most adults with A/I/DD live with a parent or family caregiver, many of whom are aging, potentially to a point where they can no longer care for their loved one. IHC supports including neuro-inclusive housing in the development of affordable housing and the new resources that support this development.
In the past, organizations that formerly functioned as Community Center Boards, as well as other service agencies, provided housing in the community in the form of agency owned and run group homes. These homes enabled higher needs adults to live in a community, often in a single-family type of home with five to six roommates and a service provider to be included in the neighborhood. Often these homes provided high levels of support to individuals on Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waivers. In recent years, the cost of state- mandated services and direct care staffing significantly exceeded the reimbursement levels, creating an unsustainable situation. As a result, many group homes in Colorado have closed and HUD supported group homes have even gone to foreclosure and sale. IHC supports efforts to find ways to preserve any source of community-based affordable housing and finding alternate uses that require a high level of services.
IHC begins the year undertaking projects initiated through our committees, which include members of our coalition seeking to further our mission of addressing the lack of neuro-inclusive housing in Colorado in more specific ways:
Risk Factors and Empowerment Committee has undertaken a project to create a Neuro-Divergent friendly community program modeled on similar programs in areas of the US and Ireland. The project stems from the idea to train people at neuro-inclusive properties how to communicate and expand to include the greater community as well.
Existing I/DD and Government Related Issues Committee continues to focus on advocacy and has initiated a project to clarify the housing voucher systems with a goal of helping them work better for people with A/I/DD.
The Elderly Housing Alignment, Design and Programs Committee will engage with partners and stakeholders for a second session of ideation about what neuro-inclusive housing could look like for higher needs individuals with A/I/DD. In addition, we will meet with affordable elderly housing providers to determine where there is alignment with neuro-inclusive housing. We invite all community members interested in helping with these projects to contact IHC, which you can do so at the following link: Contact IHC.
As we start our full second year of operations, the IHC is well positioned to help address the need for neuro-inclusive housing in Colorado. We have a broad coalition of stakeholders covering many diverse areas of housing, service provision and, most importantly, parents and self-advocates. To build on our success and strengthen the collective voice, the IHC will look to strengthen our organization by broadening our coalition and adding to our board of directors. We seek members with professional expertise in accounting, legal, real estate development, fundraising and grants, and people with lived experience. We have a small but mighty board and seek to broaden our knowledge base to help guide the organization as we grow in influence. If you are interested in joining our Board or our Advocacy Group, please reach out to us by sending us a message: Contact IHC.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us in the past couple of years and continues to support us as we advocate and educate for a more inclusive future for our neighbors and friends with A/I/DD. I wish all of you a happy and prosperous 2025!
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