FULLY FUNDING THE CILs

Connecticut’s five Centers for Independent Living (CILs) help people of all ages, with all types of disabilities, live independently in the community. They operate with a mix of state, federal and private funding.

The CILs have had few funding increases in their 36 years of operation. The CILs were flat-funded in FY23 at $2.36 million in total state funding. While they have received small increases, the centers remain 35% behind inflation. An increase of $840,000.00 would begin to restore lost funding and expand access for consumers.

  • This level of funding is the result of many years of funding cuts.

  • The funding cuts have already forced layoffs and limits on services, including waiting lists up to 12 months.

  • Due to COVID-19, the CILs experienced a 51% increase in requests for services, and we anticipate further increases in the future.

  • Without access to services, individuals with disabilities, who rely on the Centers to find and keep housing, jobs, benefits and to navigate other daily living challenges, could be forced into far more expensive nursing facilities.

At $462,970 Connecticut provides the lowest amount of state funding
compared to adjacent states.

Connecticut

$462,970

New York

$13,360,999

Massachusetts

$7,146,117

Rhode Island

$302,560
(has only one CIL)

In 2016, the State Independent Living Council, a Governor appointed body, commissioned a US Census data-driven funding formula developed by the Indiana Business Research Center. The report concludes that $5.5 million is the true cost to fully fund CT’s ILCs, permitting them to meet the needs in the state, with a base level of state funding of $550K per center.

Services provided by Connecticut’s five Independent Living Centers help individuals live the lives they desire and deliver a substantial return on public investment.

  • In FY 21-22, when staff couldn’t even enter a nursing facility, the CILs transitioned over 100 people out of nursing facilities into the community, saving the state more than $8M and saving lives and improving the quality of life for those individuals.

  • The CILs helped hundreds of individuals avoid costly institutions.

  • By helping individuals across the state to get and keep jobs, the CILs are contributing to the economy by supporting employees who earn and spend money and pay taxes.

Fund the CILs an additional $840K