State Plan for Independent Living (Fiscal Years 2011-2013)
Part II: Narrative
Section 3: Design for the Statewide Network of Centers
3.1 Existing Network
Provide an overview of the existing network of centers, including non-Part C-funded centers that comply with the standards and assurances in section 725 (b) and (c) of the Act, and the geographic areas and populations currently served by the centers.
California has 29 Independent Living Centers that receive Social Security Reimbursements and 50 Part C grants. All locations comply with the standards and assurances in section 725 (b) and (c) of the Act: they practice the IL Philosophy, employ persons with disabilities, offer all of the core services, are fully accessible, and more. In its compliance review, the DSU ensures that corporations with more than one Part C grant maintain accounting systems compliant with OMB that separate out the funds for the different grants. They also require that CIL?s that share a Board of Directors have representatives from all the geographic areas served as members. However, 19 of the locations funded with Part C funds are dependent upon the larger corporations for administrative support, financial support, and Boards of Directors. Two additional Part C grants fund outreach to a specific ethnic minority rather than a geographic location. Most of these 19 locations are run as branch offices of an Independent Living Center. Some offices are in communities so remote that there is not a high enough population to normally warrant a fully functioning CIL. In particular, some of the rural communities in California that lack other supportive services benefit greatly from these offices. Also, as mentioned before, two grants were made to reach a specific underserved community. If these 19 locations were required to become autonomous, people with disabilities in those communities would receive fewer services. The geographic areas served by the centers are primarily represented by county. Below is a list of the 29 Independent Living Centers recognized by California. After that list, the 50 Part VII C grants recognized by RSA will be designated:
- Access to Independence (a2i) serves Imperial County, Northern San Diego County and Southern San Diego County;
- Center for Independence of the Disabled (CID) serves Northern and Southern San Mateo County;
- Center for Independent Living (CIL) serves Northern Alameda County, including East Oakland (African-American) and the Fruitvale District (Latino);
- Central Coast Center for Independent Living (CCCIL) serves Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties;
- Communities Actively Living Independent & Free (CALIF) serves central Los Angeles County;
- Community Access Center (CAC) serves Eastern and Western Riverside Counties;
- Community Rehabilitation Services (CRS) serves Eastern Los Angeles City and the Western San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County;
- Disability Services & Legal Center (DSLC) serves Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma Counties;
- Community Resources for Independent Living, Inc. (CRIL) serves Southern Alameda County;
- Dayle McIntosh Center for the Disabled (DMC) serves Central and Western Orange Counties;
- Disability Resources Agency for Independent Living (DRAIL) serves Mariposa, Stanislaus, Tuolumne Amador, Calaveras and San Joaquin Counties;
- Disabled Resource Center, Inc. (DRC) serves Southwest Los Angeles County;
- FREED Center for Independent Living serves Colusa, Sutter, Yuba, Nevada and Sierra Counties;
- Independent Living Center of Kern County (ILCKC) serves Kern County;
- Independent Living Center of Southern California (ILCSC) serves Northwest Los Angeles County;
- Independent Living Resource Center (ILRC) serves Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties;
- Independent Living Resource Center, San Francisco (ILRC-SF) serves San Francisco County, including the Latino Mission District and Chinatown;
- Independent Living Resource of Solano and Contra Costa Counties (ILRSCC) serves Solano and Contra Costa Counties;
- Independent Living Services of Northern California (ILSNC) serves Shasta, Siskiyou, Modoc, Lassen, Butte, Glenn, Plumas and Tehama Counties;
- Marin Center for Independent Living (MCIL) serves Marin County;
- Placer Independent Resource Services (PIRS) serves Alpine, El Dorado, and Placer Counties;
- Resources for Independence, Central Valley (RICV) serves Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare Counties;
- Resources for Independent Living serves Sacramento and Yolo Counties;
- Rolling Start, Inc. serves Inyo, Mono and San Bernardino Counties;
- Services Center for Independent Living (SCIL) serves the Eastern San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys in Los Angeles County;
- Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC) serves Northern and Southern Santa Clara Counties;
- Southern California Rehabilitation Services (SCRS) serves Southeast Los Angeles County;
- Tri-County Independent Living, Inc. (TCIL) serves Del Norte, Humboldt and Trinity Counties;
- Westside Center for Independent Living (WCIL) serves West Los Angeles County.
The 50 RSA identified, 7C grants (thanks to Elizabeth Akinola and Sue Rankin-White for the following list) are:
- Access to Independence (Branch); Access to Independence San Diego and Imperial Counties; Access to Independence San Diego and Imperial Counties;
- Center for Independence of the Disabled All Cities and Unincorporated Areas of San Mateo County; Center for Independence of the Disabled San Mateo County;
- Center for Independent Living Alameda County; Center for Independent Living East Oakland, Fruitvale, and San Antonio Districts; Center for Independent Living Alameda County;
- Central Coast Center for Independent Living Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties; Central Coast Center for Independent Living Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties;
- Communities Actively Living Independent & Free Central Los Angeles County;
- Community Access Center Riverside County; Community Access Center Coachella Valley and Eastern Desert area of Riverside County;
- Community Rehabilitation Services Northeast Los Angeles County; Community Rehabilitation Services East Los Angeles County;
- Community Resources for Independence Sonoma County; Disability Resources and Legal Center Napa County; Disability Resources and Legal Center Mendocino and Lake Counties;
- Community Resources for Independent Living Southern Alameda County;
- Dayle McIntosh Center Orange County; Dayle McIntosh Center Orange County;
- Disability Resources Agency for Independent Living Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Amador, Tuolumne, Calaveras, and Mariposa Counties; Disability Resources Agency for Independent Living Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Amador, Tuolumne, Calaveras, and Mariposa Counties;
- Disabled Resources Center, Inc. Six Cities in Los Angeles County: Artesia, Avalon, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, Signal Hill, and Long Beach;
- FREED Center for Independent Living; FREED Center for Independent Living Nevada and Sierra Counties;
- Independent Living Center of Kern County;
- Independent Living Center of Southern California, Inc. Los Angeles City and County; Independent Living Center of Southern California, Inc. San Fernando Valley and North Los Angeles County;
- Independent Living Resource Center, Inc.; Independent Living Resource Center, Inc. San Luis Obispo County;
- Independent Living Resource Center of Chinatown San Francisco County; Independent Living Resource Center of San Francisco; Independent Living Resource Center of San Francisco;
- Independent Living Resource of Contra Costa County all of Contra Costa and Solano Counties; Independent Living Resource of Contra Costa County;
- Independent Living Services of North California, Inc.; Independent Living Services of Northern California, Inc. Butte, Glenn, Plumas, and Tehama Counties;
- Marin Center for Independent Living Marin County;
- Placer Independent Resource Services, Inc. Placer, El Dorado, and Alpine Counties;
- Resources for Independence, Central Valley Fresno County; Resources for Independence, Central Valley Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, Tulare, Kings, and Merced Counties;
- Resources for Independent Living, Inc. Sacramento and Yolo of Northern California;
- Rolling Start, Inc. San Bernardino, Inyo, and Mono Counties;
- Service Center for Independent Living San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County;
- Silicon Valley Independent Living Center; Silicon Valley Independent Living Center South Santa Clara County from South San Jose to Gilroy;
- Southern California Rehabilitation Services Cities of Bell, Bell Gardens, Bell Flower, and Cerritos Commerce, and Cudahy, Downey, Huntington Park, LA Mirada, Lynwood, Maywood, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, Paramount, Pico Rivera, Southgate, and Whittier (Southeast Los Angeles area);
- Tri-County Independent Living Center, Inc. Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity Counties;
- Westside Center for Independent Living, Inc. Western Portion of Los Angeles County.
3.2 Expansion of Network
Describe the design for the further expansion of the network, including identification of the unserved and underserved areas in the State and the order of priority for serving these areas as additional funding becomes available (beyond the required cost-of-living increase).
California is not currently considering expanding its network. Service areas within the state have been divided up such that every region has an independent living center responsible for it. Unfortunately, there are insufficient funds to fully serve many communities and so consensus is that new Title VII C funds (after COLAs) should be allocated to the 29 California-recognized centers using a base amount + square mileage + % population formula similar to the one used in the 2009 SPIL amendment. These funds will be distributed according to a formula which complements, but is not identical to the one set forth in State statute. The California Independent Living Community does not intend to alter the existing 7C grant awards in any way. In the event of new Title VII C funds (after COLAs), the state will need technical assistance to create a formula that does not alter existing funding.
California State code guarantees each recognized non-profit independent living corporation a fixed amount of base funding and additional dollars for population and fundraising incentives in Social Security Trust Fund receipts passed through the state. Without legislative action at the state level to change these laws, a new corporation would cause the existing funds to be reapportioned.
Establishing a new center requires a great deal of community support and mobilization along with a strong Board of Directors. This infrastructure takes time to establish and does not maintain itself in the absence of a 501(c) 3 to rally around. For example, it took over 10 years to mobilize the support necessary to open CALIF in central Los Angeles.
Establishing a new center would have to be predicated on new, permanent funds in a community ready for the center. That being said, if all of those conditions were met, this SPIL recommends opening a new center in Inyo, Mono, or San Bernardino Counties, since the 2009 Needs Assessment found this community to be the most in need of additional IL Services. (Please see section 1.2B)
Also found in section 1.2B are identified underserved and underrepresented populations including: Latinos; Asian Americans; Native Americans; People with disabilities who have aged in rural areas; People with traumatic brain injury; Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in Los Angeles and in rural Northern California; children/youth; young adults; veterans; homeless individuals; and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. In order to increase services to these populations, DOR will provide technical assistance training and grants, scholarships, and sponsor events for these communities. Please see Goal 3, section 1.2A.
3.3 Section 723 States Only
3.3A If the State follows an order of priorities for allocating funds among centers within a State that is different from what is outlined in 34 CFR 366.22, describe the alternate order of priority that the DSU director and the SILC chair have agreed upon. Indicate N/A if not applicable.
3.3B Describe how the State policies, practices and procedures governing the awarding of grants to centers and the oversight of these centers are consistent with 34 CFR 366.37 and 366.38.