How Can Community-based Housing Connected to Health Services Serve Vulnerable Populations?
States and communities are working together across America to meet the mandate of the Supreme Court’s 1999 Olmstead decision to help people with disabilities live in their communities instead of institutions.
At the same time, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides opportunities for states to create new options for home and community-based services under the Medicaid program. Olmstead implementation that uses these new financing opportunities will require better coordination and integration for people with complex needs across the health and housing sectors.
Experts from Abt Global, federal and state agencies, and policy organizations convened on Jan. 24 for a webinar to explore ways that community-based housing linked to health services can better serve the most vulnerable populations. More than 350 people participated online.
Panelists explored topics such as how the ACA provides opportunities for individuals with disabilities to realize the promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Olmstead decision for integrated, supported living in home and community settings. They also explored how these opportunities presented by the ACA and Olmstead will require close coordination across multiple state systems and among state and federal funding streams to ensure successful transitions to community-based housing with supports.
The webinar featured:
- Alison Barkoff, Special Counsel for Olmstead Enforcement in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
- Dan Burke, Director, Chicago Multifamily HUB, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development
- Jill Khadduri, Senior Fellow and Principal Associate in Housing & Communities Practice, Abt Global
- Gretchen Locke, Senior Associate, Housing & Communities Practice, Abt Global
- Kevin Martone, Executive Director, Technical Assistance Collaborative
- Danna Mauch, Senior Fellow and Principal Associate in U.S. Health Division, Abt Global
- Charles Milligan Jr., Deputy Secretary for Health Care Financing, overseeing the Medicaid program and ACA activities for the state of Maryland
