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.
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.