What is DDCS Roads to Community Living?
Roads to Community Living provides support and services to people with developmental disabilities to move from a Residential Habilitation Center, nursing facility, or hospital to a home in the community. Whether a person is considering a move, or has already made the decision to move, we are available to partner and provide the help and tools needed for a successful transition.
Roads to Community Living is part of Washington state’s federally funded “Money Follows the Person” initiative which runs through 2028.
Our Mission
We work with participants, their families, community members, paid providers, and others to help the person:
- Choose where and how they would like to live, work and have fun.
- Live a safe and healthy life.
- Make their community better for being part of it.
We Help People Succeed
We team up with the person, and anyone else they choose, to make sure their transition is successful. We also provide additional help and services for one year after the person has moved into the community. These extra services are tailored to each person and family’s unique needs and desires.
Examples of additional help include:
- A person-centered plan that outlines the person’s strengths and needs, personal goals for community living and steps to get there.
- Help finding a job in the community or creating a pathway to employment.
- Assistive technology to help with mobility, communication or other assessed needs.
- Making environmental adaptation(s) or home modifications for accessibility.
- Providing resources and training to staff in the person’s new home.
DDCS makes regular follow-up visits to make sure everything is going well. If necessary, we will help identify and connect the person to other services and resources to assure success.
Our team understands that adjusting to a new home and staff can be hard. To help ensure a successful transition, we offer supportive strategies for anyone struggling with this big change.
Who Can Participate?
RCL is for people who:
- Currently live in a Residential Habilitation Center, nursing facility, or hospital.
- Have lived there 60 consecutive days or more.
- Are eligible for Medicaid.
- Want to move to a home in the community.
Roads to Community Living Team
Community Living Transitions Unit Manager: Melanie Ingram. Melanie oversees the statewide management of the RCL grant for DDCS, in part by supervising DDCS RCL staff and the Transitional Care Management and PASRR Program Managers. Melanie works closely with teams across DDCS and BHHA, sharing grant context, supporting RCL goals, and regularly collaborating with administration, departmental, and federal and state partners to ensure program success.
RCL Money Follows the Person Grant Specialist: Tom Farrow. Tom provides support and guidance to help people transition to the community. This includes coordinating resources throughout the state. Whatever someone needs, Tom finds a way to make it happen.
RCL Quality Improvement Specialist: Ron Bryan. Ron works with people, families, providers, community members, and state and county staff to learn what is working and what needs changing. When it’s time to problem-solve and collaborate, Ron gently leads the way.
RCL Behavior Analyst: Yoon Park. Yoon helps people adjust to community living by supporting them and their provider before and after their move. She will analyze the situation, provide recommendations, identify staff training needs and follow up.
Regional Transition Teams. Each region has a transition team that helps RCL participants make a successful transition. A Transition Case Manager brings together the people and organizations who will help with individualized planning to support a successful transition. This case manager follows the person for the first year in the community.
Contact Information
- DDCS Headquarters RCL Contacts
- Tom Farrow: Tom.Farrow@dshs.wa.gov
- Ron Bryan: Ronald.Bryan@dshs.wa.gov
- Melanie Ingram: Melanie.Ingram@dshs.wa.gov
Success Stories
Some people who have moved from institutions into their own homes in the community have shared their stories. Click here to watch their video stories.
This website is supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a financial assistance award with 100 percent funding by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.