Community Habilitation
Empowering Individuals With Disabilities
At Community Mainstreaming, we provide Community Habilitation services to help you or your loved one with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) find a higher level of freedom. As a Medicaid-funded program that operates under the New York State Office for People with Developmental (OPWDD), Community Habilitation is engineered for those who live with family, loved ones, or independently within the community. To be eligible for Community Habilitation, you or your loved one must have a Care Coordinators and be Waiver Services Enrolled ( You’re Care Coordinator will help with enrollment.
People living in certified residences can utilize Community Habilitation instead of certified day programs — but only Monday – Friday during day program hours. Through OPWDD funding, the team at Community Mainstreaming will coordinate services and assist those with IDD develop and/or enhance the skills necessary to live more independently.
Building Connections and Brighter Futures
Community Mainstreaming helps adults living with IDD maximize their potential. While we use a range of different tools and best practices, one of our primary ways of increasing independence is through the establishing of strong community connections. Under our guidance, we’ll help you or your loved one develop valuable connections throughout the neighborhood for a richer, more engaged style of life. We strongly support Community Habilitation participants in becoming involved in local support groups, utilizing neighborhood vendors, and participating in local events.
How Does Community Habilitation Work?
Because everyone is different and has different needs, we use a person-centered approach to increase independence and help each individual live a life full of meaningful interaction and possibilities. Most importantly, we cater our services to be consistent with you or your loved one’s needs — as well as the needs of the family. Individuals are thoughtfully matched with a trained Community Habilitation specialist, who provides one-on-one or small group support to enhance independence.
Areas of focus include daily living skills, personal skills in the community, travel training, health and wellness, self-advocacy, social skills development, money management, food preparation, and safe use of public transportation. Our goal is to strategically enhance independence through our Community Habilitation program, which focuses on teaching and enhancing personal care and household skills to help individuals take care of themselves and their belongings.
SUCCESS THROUGH CONNECTING
From a Single Residence to a Leading Advocate
Since our inception, we’ve grown from a single residence in King’s Point into an advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities — offering a range of services and helping shape public policy.
Thank You Community Mainstreaming!
“Community Mainstreaming has been a game changer for our family. As a parent of a child with intellectual and developmental disabilities, finding the right support and services has been challenging. But since we connected with Community Mainstreaming, our lives have been transformed.”
– Vocational & Day Program Student Parent