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Identifying Community Supports
A core area of community supports are the variety of federal, state, and local supports available specifically to people with disabilities. Providers are already familiar with the systems - housing, transportation, employment and TANF (welfare) - but may not be familiar with special provisions for people with disabilities. As in any type of ‘entitlement’ from rental subsidies to the school lunch program, the only thing you can count on is that there will be distinct eligibility rules and that no two program eligibility requirements will be the same. Still, given the potential of securing additional support for survivors with disabilities, it is worth investing time and effort to master these complicated and often frustrating systems.
For some survivors, eligibility to become a client of a publicly funded agency such as state departments may be a first step. Agencies, almost always at the state level, include Departments of Mental Health, Intellectual Disabilities or Mental Retardation, Developmental Disabilities, Vocational Rehabilitation, Commissions for the Blind and Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing or Public Health. It can be a route to a variety of services and supports though some survivors may resist submitting to the testing and scrutiny of that process or to the perceived stigma of being a ‘client’ of a public disability agency.
As difficult as it may be, it is valuable to become familiar with eligibility policies and program offerings. It can make the difference between building a stable new start and being stuck in patterns of dependence or repeated crises.
Beyond government and publicly funded supports, other non-profit organizations and disability self-help organizations can provide valuable options for survivors and valuable resources to providers for referral and networking.
