TAKE ACTION NOW to assure that ALL people with disabilities can live in freedom!

Call NOW to urge Senator Murphy to support the right of all people with disabilities to live in freedom!

Call 1-866-220-0044.

Ask for Senator Murphy’s office.

Say:

“Please cosponsor the Disability Integration Act (S.2427). As someone who has cosponsored previous legislation that addressed Medicaid’s institutional bias, I am hoping he will support this vital civil rights legislation.”

BACKGROUND

It’s a travesty that we can address! A quarter century after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law, people with disabilities – including young people – are still trapped in nursing facilities and other institutions. To address this injustice, Senator Schumer (NY) has introduced the Disability Integration Act (S.2427). This legislation will require states and insurance providers that pay for Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) to provide community-based services first and offer HCBS to people currently in institutions. This legislation has broad-based support in the disability community from over 300 organizations across the country.

The proposed legislation says:

“No public entity or LTSS insurance provider shall deny an individual with an LTSS disability who is eligible for institutional placement, or otherwise discriminate against that individual in the provision of, community-based long-term services and supports that enable the individual to live in the community and lead an independent life.”

The legislation would also make it illegal for a state and insurance providers that pay for LTSS to fail to provide HCBS by using waiting lists, screening people out, capping services, paying workers too little for services, or the other excuses which states have used to keep people from living in freedom.

You can learn more about the legislation here:

www.adapt.org/main.diamain

www.disabilityintegrationact.org

The full supporter list is available at:

The full supporter list is available at:

http://www.disabilityintegrationact.org/dia-supporter-list

DIA Supporter List

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Call NOW to urge Senator Murphy to support the right of all people with disabilities to live in freedom!

Call 1-866-220-0044.

Ask for Senator Murphy’s office.

Tell them: “Please cosponsor the Disability Integration Act (S.2427). As someone who has cosponsored previous legislation that addressed Medicaid’s institutional bias, I am hoping he will support this vital civil rights legislation.”

THANK YOU!

37th Annual Fair Housing Association of CT Conference April 28

Registration is Now Open for the 37th Annual FHACt Fair Housing Conference
‘Steps to Eradicating Housing Discrimination and Patterns of Segregation’
Thursday, April 28, 2016
8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Sheraton Hartford South
100 Capital Boulevard, Rocky Hill, CT 06067

Registration is Now Open
Please click here to download the Conference Registration Package
containing the full schedule, menu, and instructions
for paying dues and registering for the Conference

NOTE: the hotel, which is conveniently located immediately off of I-91, Exit 23,
is a totally accessible facility with plenty of free parking
immediately adjacent to the building.
If you need further information on the conference registration process,
please contact: FHACt Secretary Nancy Kasper at 860-749-0809 or [email protected].

A great list of resources for dealing with DSS online and otherwise

Resources for DSS Clients, Including Videos and Guides


First off, by creating an online client benefits account at– ‘MyAccount’ – with your client ID, you can look at the benefits you currently receive with DSS. You will need to create a user name and password online at www.connect.ct.gov. The information you enter to create your MyAccount helps to ensure that only you can see your household’s benefit information. We will safeguard all of your personal information. When you sign up, you can access the status of your benefits anytime and anywhere from a computer or smartphone with an internet connection.

MyAccount technical support (for help using MyAccount online) is available by calling toll-free 1-877-874-1612, Monday – Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm. The following videos and pamphlets may also be helpful to you.

ConneCT also features a service prescreening tool at www.connect.ct.gov which helps show if you may be eligible for programs with DSS.  By giving information about your income, assets, and the bills you pay each month, you can find out if you might be eligible for help buying food, providing health care coverage for you and/or your family, and assistance with other DSS programs.

 

TOWN OF DARIEN CLOCK HILL HOMES ASSOCIATION, INC. WAITING LIST ANNOUCEMENT

The Town of Darien ( Town ) , through Imagineers , will accept 200 pre – applications for its Affordable Home ownership Program of Clock Hill Homes Association, Inc. (CHH) waiting list through a computer generated lottery . Clock Hill Homes consists of moderate income 1 and 2 bedroom unit condominiums which are owner – occupied. Affordable Housing is defined as housing which can be afforded by household’s earning 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). If you are selected to be on the wait list and once there is an available unit for you to purchase , you must be prepared to put down a 1% binder (deposit) . This CHH Pre – Application Form is intended to be completed by the head of household and other household members that have income and would eventually qualify as an applicant or co – applicant on a mortgage loan. In order to participate in purchasing a home at CHH you will eventually need to qualify to obtain mortgage financing (if necessary) based on your household income and credit history The pre – application form will be available on October 12, 2015 at the following website s : www.cthcvp.org ; www.darienct.gov ; www.imagineersllc.com ; as well as the following: Stamford Advocate published newspaper of 10/12/15 ; at Darien Town Hall, 2 Renshaw Road, Darien, CT 06920 and at the Darien Library , 1441 Post Road, Darien, CT 0682 0 . Qualified individuals with disabilities may call 860 – 522 – 1028 or hearing impaired persons can use the TDD line at 711. We will accept pre – applications from October 12 , 2015 until October 19, 2015 through the mail only. No pre – applications will be accepted before October 12 , 2015 or by hand delivery or fax or if the form is not legible. The pre – application form will detail the specifics of where to mail the pre – application form and other important information. After October 19, 2015 the waiting list will be closed. The computer generated lottery will be conducted in the month of November 2015. We will send notification letters to everyone that applied with the results of the computer generated lottery. You will be able to submit a pre – application form if: you are elderly, disabled, single , displaced or a family regardless of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status , are 18 years of age or older or an emancipated minor , are a citizen , or a non – citizen with eligible immigration status, an d your income does not exceed the income limits listed below based on family size . Maximum Income Eligibility (80% of Area Median Income for the Stamford – Norwalk area ) : Household size 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Income Limit $ 55,250 $ 63,150 $ 71,050 $ 78,900 $ 85,250 $ 9 1, 550 $ 97,85 0 $ 104,1 50 We are an equal housing provider and we do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex , actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identify, disability, marital or familial status.

Jails are no place for the mentally ill. I was lucky to get out. | The Washington Post

by Justin Volpe, Justin Volpe is a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist living in Miami.

Jails have become warehouses for those struggling with mental illness as well as drug addiction. Serious mental illness now affects about one in six men and almost one-third of women in jails, rates four to six times higher than in the general population. For people with serious mental illnesses, stigma often keeps them from seeking treatment, which is how they wind up in the criminal justice system. There are currently 10 times more mentally ill people in jails and prisons than in state mental health institutions; the vast majority of these people are in jail for non-serious offenses.

The results are tragic. Jamycheal Mitchell, a young man who, his family says, suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, was found dead in a Virginia jail cell in August. His death came four months after his arrest for stealing a Mountain Dew and a few dollars’ worth of snacks. His family believes he starved after refusing to take meals. Earlier this month, three jail deputies in Santa Clara County, Calif., were arrested under suspicion of murder in the death of Michael James Tyree, another young man with a history of mental illness. Tyree, who died of internal bleeding due to trauma, was being held on misdemeanor drug and theft charges.

Source: Jails are no place for the mentally ill. I was lucky to get out. – The Washington Post

Walk for Thought Nov. 1, East Hartford | Brain Injury Alliance of Connecticut

Since 2005, families and friends have been coming together to walk with the Brain Injury Alliance of Connecticut (BIAC). Each year hundreds of attendees come together to increase awareness about brain injury and show their support for BIAC.

Join us at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on Sunday, November 1, 2015, for the 11th Annual Walk for Thought. By uniting as a community, we will increase brain injury awareness, while raising much needed funds to continue our mission. Registration begins at 11am, opening ceremonies at 12pm, and the Walk begins at 12:30pm.

2015 BIAC Walk for Thought Brochure
(Register by October 19th to take advantage of our early bird registration fees!)

For infomation on how to fundraise or general information about our walk, please read our 2015 Walk Handbook.

Source: Walk for Thought | Brain Injury Alliance of Connecticut

Having Issues with DSS Regarding Documents or Phone Calls? They want to hear.

Caring Families Coalition will be hosting a public event with the DSS commissioner and legislators before the end of the year.

They would love to hear a story from you about some of the difficulties that you’ve had or are having with DSS. Please contact Yomaira Colon (Bilingual Community Organizer) at [email protected] or call 860-524-0502 ext. 12.

2015 CT Mini Mission of Mercy Dental Clinics Oct. 10 & 11 at East Lyme High School

The Connecticut Mini Mission of Mercy is a smaller scale version of the Connecticut Mission of Mercy.

The two day clinic will provide free dental care to the underserved and uninsured in a specific, targeted area of Connecticut — those that would otherwise go without dental care. The inaugural CTMiniMOM will take place in East Lyme, CT.

This will be a 30-chair clinic; planning to treat about 350 patients per day, over the two days of the clinic.

Visit the link to register:  Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach – CFDO – Mini Clinics

Save with early registration for Oct. 30, 2015, statewide ADA conference in Newington

The 2015 state-wide ADA Conference will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday Oct. 30 at the Newington Senior & Disabled Center, 120 Cedar Street, in Newington, CT.

Register by Sept. 16 and save $25 off the $100 early registration cost.

For complete registration information visit http://adacc.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/ADACC2ndStateConf10-30-15Final.pdf.

Please direct any questions to Sandy Keefe at [email protected].

Thank you for all you do to make the ADA regulations a reality in your community. So many people with disabilities rely on you to help them gain freedom and independence.

Substance Abuse Screening Program Expands and Launches a Statewide Toll Free Referral Line

844-SBIRTCT or 844-724-7828 – Statewide

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 17, 2015

The Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) and St. Luke’s Community Services’ Gatekeeper Program of Middletown have joined together to offer substance misuse and abuse screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment for adults 60 and older. A new toll free line, (844) 724-7828 or 844-SBIRTCT, has been launched for easy referrals to these services. This new partnership joins the outreach of the DMHAS funded Gatekeeper Program to the Connecticut Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment Program (CT SBIRT). It is a demonstration of one of many successful public-private collaborations in Connecticut’s on-going health reform efforts, particularly in the area of aging and behavioral health wellness.

The Gatekeeper Program, led by St. Luke’s Community Services and also offered by Community Renewal Team, Mental Health Connecticut and United Services, Inc. educates the community (postal workers, hairdressers, etc.) to identify and refer older adults, 60 and older, who may be in need of assistance to remain safe in their homes. The CT SBIRT program increases identification and treatment of adults who are at-risk for substance misuse or diagnosed with a substance use disorder.

“This type of collaboration between programs, the state and the private sector is vital to the provision of services that meet the needs of Connecticut’s older adults” said DMHAS Commissioner Miriam Delphin-Rittmon. “We know that one in four older adults experience behavioral health issues that are not necessarily part of the aging process. Substance and medication mis-use and abuse are preventable and treatable. Screening, brief intervention and referral to needed treatment can help older adults to achieve and maintain good behavioral health.”

Individuals receiving Gatekeeper Program referrals are NOT required to have a mental illness or substance abuse diagnosis in order to qualify for free short term case management and intervention.

The CT SBIRT, a private-public partnership among DMHAS, the Community Health Center Association of CT, University of CT Health, and community providers is funded through a $8.3 million grant awarded to DMHAS in 2011. These grant monies from federal Affordable Care Act funds support enhancements to the behavioral service system, specifically to increase identification and treatment of adults who are at-risk for substance misuse or diagnosed with a substance use disorder. A large portion of the CT SBIRT grant funds come from the Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act.

More information about Connecticut SBIRT and Gatekeeper programs are available at: www.ct.gov/dmhas/ctsbirt or www.gatekeeperct.net.