Caregiver Roommates Offer Housing Alternative For Adults with Disabilities

By Blythe Bernhard

https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2019/06/28/caregiver-roommates-housing-alternative/26854/

In a growing trend toward inclusion, young adults with disabilities now have more opportunities than ever to live with typically-developing peers who double as their caregivers.

A lack of safe and affordable housing is the number one issue for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to Shawn Ullman, senior director for national initiatives at The Arc.

“There’s a real crisis,” Ullman said. “People are having to get creative. The old way of doing things is not sustainable.”

Most adults with developmental disabilities who are no longer living with family members reside in group homes with other people with disabilities or live independently with assistance from service providers who come to the residence for support and therapy. But there is a national shortage of care providers, and group homes often have long waiting lists or are not compatible with jobs and transportation, Ullman said.

A Minnesota-based company has responded to the crisis by creating a roommate matching service for people with and without disabilities.

Since launching last summer, the new service, Rumi, has paired 12 sets of roommates who have signed long-term leases. The program matches people with disabilities who have Medicaid waivers with a compatible caregiver based on shared interests and needs. The pairs live in homes or apartments in the community just like typical roommates and the caregivers are paid for whatever level of services they provide, which can range from overnight supervision to around-the-clock support.

The benefits for people with disabilities are having a choice in where to live, who to live with and the level of support. For caregivers, the advantages are tax-free salaries compared to direct care jobs outside the home and helping people live more independently.

Rumi is run by Bridges, a company that provides housing, employment and other services to people with disabilities. The company conducts background checks, helps locate housing and assists with lease agreements and ongoing management.

The matching service can address not only the housing crisis but the shortage of caregivers, said Blake Elliott, Bridges’ vice president of disability services.

“We tell our caregivers, ‘We can’t promise you that it’s never going to feel like work, but our hope is that a lot of it doesn’t feel like work,'” Elliott said. “You’re getting paid to provide this support to somebody with some shared interests.”

Under IRS guidelines, the income of caregivers providing disability services in their own home is tax-free. The level of care provided can range from supplemental to full-time support, and caregiver roommates can be paid for overnight supervision. Bridges offers substitute caregivers for illness or vacation along with any additional support therapies needed. The program’s directors said they hope to expand beyond Minnesota in the future.<