The Need to Expand Coverage to Georgia’s Rural Counties
Centers for Independent Living (CILs) are community-based, non-profit organizations, governed and staffed by people with disabilities, offering a wide variety of services to people with disabilities and their families. The foundation of these services is the peer-to-peer relationship, where people with disabilities act as mentors showing, by example, how to help themselves live more independently. Georgia has nine (9) CILs and two (2) satellite offices serving all ages and all disability groups and providing five core services:
- Information and Referral
- Peer Support
- Independent Living Skills Training
- Advocacy
- Transition Services (youth to adult life & from the nursing facility to the community)
Depending on the needs of the communities they serve, CILs may provide other services that vary from one center to another. To learn about each center, visit www.silcga.org
In FY22, the CILs assisted 3,459 individuals with their personal plans toward independence. Although these programs are small, they have a very high impact. Information received from our recent Needs Assessment indicated:
- Ninety-five percent (95.56%) of those surveyed stated a Center for Independent Living would be valuable in their communities
- Eighty-five percent (85.29%) of those surveyed would contact a Center for Independent Living.
- Seventy-nine percent (79.26%) of those surveyed are aware of individuals not receiving needed services.
WHAT IS NEEDED?
1 in every 3 Georgians has a disability, but not all Georgians have the benefit of these valuable organizations. Currently 691,321 Georgians in our state’s poorest and most rural counties do not have access to a CIL. The General Assembly’s investment of $2.5 million would establish satellite offices and resources to expand outreach to underserved counties so that all Georgians have the opportunity to achieve independence.
We need $2.5 million to expand Independent Living to 27 counties that are highlighted in light blue. This would make our services available to another 691,321 people.
WHERE’S THIS ISSUE IN THE BUDGET?
Independent Living programs are administered by the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency which is administratively attached to the Department of Human Services