In their 2017 “State of the States in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities,” Coleman Institute researchers rank Illinois at 47th in its fiscal effort funding of community disability services.”1
Waiting lists
The State of Illinois maintains a list of individuals waiting for home- and community-based services. This number has hovered around 20,000, placing Illinois among the three states whose waiting lists are the longest in the nation by double. In order to meet the need represented by this figure, residential services in the state would need to expand by almost 30%.
Building the Future
Friendship House’s many programs and services provide care and supervision 365 days a year to individuals in need. We never close our doors, as our focus has been and always will be the welfare of the individuals whom we are privileged to serve. Our staff and our community work daily to remove barriers to inclusion. We support individuals in community-integrated living arrangements with 24/7 supervision as well as in independent settings with occasional support. We offer excellent programming during the day based on self-directed autonomy, and we find or create employment pathways to greater financial independence.
Yet the many individuals on our waiting list are a continuing source of concern. Knowing that this and many other obstacles exist in Illinois to adequate care and support for individuals with disabilities, Friendship House aims to expand our care to meet the need where state-funded disability services fall short. This is where we need your help.
Private Donations
Private donations help to offset agency costs not covered by the entities listed above. We happily accept your monetary donations year-round.
