Community Supports

The Arc’s goal is to provide the highest quality of services for children and adults with developmental disabilities in order to set a standard for the true realization of personal outcomes and self-determination.  To determine if you are eligible for these services, contact The Arc and ask for the Community Support Coordinator. 

FOR CHILDREN AGES 3-17

Community Support services are services and supports necessary to assist youth ages 3 to 17 years (20 years old or younger for children enrolled in Medicaid) and their caregivers in achieving rehabilitative and recovery goals.  Community Support services are psychoeducational and supportive in nature and intended to meet the mental health or substance abuse needs of children and adolescents with significant functional deficits or who, because of negative environmental, medical or biological factors, are at risk of developing or increasing the magnitude of such functional deficits.  Included among this latter group are those at risk of atypical development, substance abuse, or serious emotional disturbances (SED) that could result in an inability to live successfully in the community without services and guidance.

The service activities of Community Support consist of a variety of interventions:  education and training of caregivers and others who have legitimate role in addressing the needs identified in the Person Centered Plan; preventive, and therapeutic interventions designed for direct individual activities; assistance with skill enhancement or acquisition, and support ongoing treatment and functional gains; development of the individual’s Person Centered Plan, along with crisis planning and procedures for the involvement of the child and family team (see also Policy AC-6, Person-Centered Plan); and one-on-one interventions with the individual to develop interpersonal and community relational skills, including adaptation to home, school, work, and other natural environments; therapeutic mentoring; and symptom monitoring and self-management of symptoms.  Community Support includes case management to arrange, link, or integrate multiple services as well as assessment and reassessment of the individual’s need for services.  Community Support workers also inform the individual about benefits, community resources, and services; assist the individual in accessing benefits and services; arrange for the individual  to receive benefits and services; and monitor the provision of services.  The Community Support Professional provides coordination of movement across levels of care, directly to the person and their family and coordinates discharge planning and community re-entry following hospitalization, residential services and other levels of care.  The service includes providing “first responder” crisis response on a 24/7/365 basis for people being supported when experiencing a crisis; and face-to-face support within 2 hours for emergencies as needed.

FOR ADULTS 18 and older

Community Support consists of mental health and substance abuse rehabilitation services and supports necessary to assist the person in achieving and maintaining rehabilitative, sobriety, and recovery goals. The service is designed to meet the mental health/substance abuse treatment, financial, social, and other treatment support needs of the person.  The service is also designed to assist the person in acquiring mental health/substance abuse recovery skills necessary to successfully address his/her educational, vocational, and housing needs.  The Community Support Professional provides coordination of movement across levels of care, directly to the person and their family and coordinates discharge planning and community re-entry following hospitalization, residential services and other levels of care.  The service includes providing “first responder” crisis response on a 24/7/365 basis for people receiving supports when experiencing a crisis; and face-to-face support within 2 hours for emergencies as needed.  The service activities of Community Support consists of a variety of interventions, identification and intervention to address barriers that impede the development of skills necessary for independent functioning in the community; family psychoeducation; development and revision of the individual’s Person Centered Plan (see also Policy AC-6, Person-Centered Plan); and one-on-one interventions with the community to develop interpersonal and community coping skills, including adaptation to home, school, and work environments; therapeutic mentoring; symptom monitoring; monitoring medications; and self management of symptoms.  Community Support includes case management to arrange, link, or integrate multiple services as well as assessment and reassessment of the individual’s need for services.  Community Support workers also inform the individual about benefits, community resources, and services; assist the individual in accessing benefits and services; arrange for the individual  to receive benefits and services; and monitor the provision of services.