Delta Center for Independent Living

Delta Center for Independent Living is a non-profit organization which exists to support people with disabilities to live as independently as possible in the community. Our coverage area includes St. Charles, Lincoln, and Warren Counties. We are one of twenty-two centers in Missouri. Centers for Independent Living arose from the disability rights movement in the early 1970's. Communities were not accessible and supports to assist people with remaining in their homes did not exist. The disability rights movement led to the Rehabilitation Act of 1975 and eventually the Americans with Disabilities Act. . Connecting people to community resources through our information and referral services assisted 570 people during this year. Referrals range from financial assistance to transportation to in-home supports and health care services. There is no end to what people with disabilities will need in the way of community supports to remain independent. . Skills training, which can encompass self-advocacy, cooking, budgeting, etc. assisted 39 people over the last year. . Peer support services connect people with disabilities with each other in order to create natural support networks of people who have common, shared experiences. This is done through out Endeavour Program which assists people with spinal cord injuries as well as advocacy training. . Delta Center partners with Missouri Assistive Technology with their "TAP" program. This provides a free adapted telephone to anyone with a hearing or visual impairment who makes less than $60,000 per year. . Delta Center partners with the Veteran's Administration by providing veteran-directed in-home services in Warren, Lincoln, and Montgomery Counties and St. Louis City in Missouri as well as a dozen counties in Illinois. This program continues to grow. Delta Center also provides the financial management service part of the program to Centers for Independent Living in other parts of Missouri which offer the Veteran Program. . Delta Center offers an equipment exchange program which provides durable medical equipment to people who otherwise cannot afford them. During this fiscal year, Delta Center received $161,577 worth of donated items (if they had been purchased new). We recorded those donations at an estimated fair market value when donated of $50,249. Two hundred seventy-five individuals received donated medical and adaptive equipment. . Delta Center offers an "Aging in Place" assessment designed to identify potential risks and barriers to someone wishing to age-in-place at home. The assessment also offers suggestions for supports and resources to mitigate risks as much as possible. . Delta Center partners with other social service agencies to address needs in the community such as affordable and accessible housing, transportation, and health care needs. . Across all programs, Delta Center provided services during the year to 1,017 people.