Connecticut’s Independent Living Centers (ILCs) are non-residential community-based organizations, established by the federal Rehab Act in 1973 and expanded with additional state funding in 1987 to serve all 169 of the state’s municipalities.

Funding for Independent Living Centers has not kept up with inflation for decades, limiting the centers’ ability to provide services to the 600,000 people in Connecticut who identify as having a disability.

While the ILCs have received some increases, including a $233,000 increase in 2023, long term underfunding has left the Centers 35 percent behind inflation. As a result, the Centers have been forced to reduce service areas.

What is the mission of ILCs?

Independent Living Centers, whose staff is at least 51 percent people with disabilities, empower people with any disability to live, work and thrive in the community, providing five federally-required core services:

•     Information and referral;
•     Peer counseling;
•     Individual and systems advocacy;
•     Independent living skills training;
•     Transition services for youth-to-adult and out of nursing facilities. (including Money Follows the Person)

The centers also assist people to obtain or maintain housing and employment, make all services available to people who are deaf or hard of hearing with dedicated staff who are fluent in ASL.

The Centers’ goal is to provide consumers with the support, training, education and tools they need to live independently and to fully participate in their communities.

The Most Recent Statistics

In December of 2023, the ILCs conducted a weeklong utilization survey of the five Centers and report the following findings:

• The 53 full and part-time staff at the five Centers, working a 35-hour week, had a total of 1,530 available working hours during that week and served 243 consumers.
• Centers operated at or beyond capacity, logging performance of services between 95 and 104 percent of available hours.
• Work performed in three general areas breaks down as follows:
  • Direct consumer services:      54%
  • Community activities:             12%
  • Administrative                        34%
• Between October 2022 and September 2023, the five Centers’ service areas broke down as follows. Out of 169 municipalities in Connecticut:
  • 20 municipalities – no consumers received services;
  • 95 municipalities – fewer than 10 people received services;
  • 5 urban areas – served 906 consumers.
• Every Center has waiting lists for services, including a list of 64 people at one Center waiting for HIV-related housing supports.