MaiHeaven

IDD housing, answered plainly

What are the housing options for an adult with autism or a developmental disability?

How residential support is funded, and where to start.

Adults with autism or an intellectual/developmental disability (IDD) usually access supported living or a small supported home funded by a Medicaid HCBS waiver run by the state’s developmental-disability agency. Medicaid pays the support services; the resident’s SSI typically pays room and board. Waivers often have waitlists — apply as early as possible.

The main funding path

State Medicaid HCBS waivers are the primary way residential support for IDD adults is paid for — residential habilitation, personal supports, and supervision in a home and community setting rather than an institution. Each state runs its own waiver with its own name and rules.

Source: Medicaid.gov, HCBS — medicaid.gov.

Where to start in your state

Contact your state’s developmental-disability agency to request an eligibility assessment and get on the waiver. Our waiver-by-state reference names each agency for NC, TN, GA, VA, DE, AZ, and FL. The national Autism Society and your state Arc chapter can also help you navigate.

Room and board

Medicaid generally does not pay room and board in these settings; the resident’s SSI usually covers it, sometimes with a state supplement.

Source: Social Security Administration, SSI — ssa.gov/ssi.

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Related

About Mai Heaven: this page is educational, not eligibility advice. We build small, permanent supported homes for adults who are hard to place. Join the waiting list and we’ll reach out when a home opens near you. Need help now? Call or text 988, or dial 211.