Autism supports coordination in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This is a direct service (face-to-face) provided in home and community settings to protect health and welfare to assist individuals in acquiring, maintaining, and improving self-help, domestic, socialization, and adaptive skills. Services consist of support in the general areas of self-care, communication, fine and gross motor skills, mobility, therapeutic activities, personal adjustment, relationship development, socialization, and use of community resources. When services are provided by agency-based providers, this service also includes transportation services necessary to enable the individual to participate in the home and community habilitation service, in accordance with the individual’s ISP. This service may not be provided in licensed settings, and is not a licensed residential service; for residential services, see Residential Home and Community Habilitation Licensed Homes and Unlicensed Homes.

Home and Community Habilitation is a service that may be provided to individuals in their own home or in other community settings not subject to licensing regulations.

Home and Community Habilitation consists of services designed to assist individuals in acquiring, retaining, and improving the self-help, socialization, and adaptive skills necessary to reside successfully in home and community-based settings. Habilitation may be provided up to 24 hours a day based on the needs of the individual, to protect the individual’s health and welfare. A day camp or overnight camp may only be provided under respite. Through this service, individuals learn, maintain, or improve skills through their participation in a variety of everyday life activities. They learn and use skills in the context of these activities; this is considered a functional approach to the delivery of services. These activities must be necessary for individuals to live in the community, to live more independently, or to be more productive and participatory in community life. Services must be provided in a manner that protects the individual’s health and welfare.

In addition to supporting individuals in activities typically associated with those occurring in their homes and their community, the Home and Community Habilitation service may also be used to provide staff assistance to support individuals in the following ways:

1. Habilitation provided in home and family settings that are not subject to Department licensing or approval, when the provider of habilitation meets established requirements/qualifications.
2. Support that enables the individual to access and use community resources such as instruction in using transportation, translator and communication assistance, and services to assist the individual in shopping and other necessary activities of community life.
3. Support that assists the individual in developing or maintaining financial stability and security, such as plans for achieving self-support; general banking; personal and estate planning; balancing accounts; preparing income taxes; and recordkeeping.
4. Support that enables an individual to participate in community projects, associations, groups, and functions, such as support that assists an individual to participate in a volunteer association or a community work project.
5. Support that enables an individual to visit with friends and family in the community.
6. Support that enables an individual to participate in public and private boards, advisory groups, and commissions.
7. Support that enables the individual to exercise rights as a citizen, such as assistance in exercising civic responsibilities.
8. Support provided during overnight hours when the individual needs the habilitation service to protect their health and welfare. If the individual only needs supervision during overnight hours, the appropriate service is Companion Services.

There may be multiple uses of this service with different providers within an individual’s ISP as long as there is documented need and there are no conflicts or overlaps with regard to day and/or time of service. For example, an individual may participate in activities that are community-based and receive Home and Community Habilitation from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, Monday through Friday to satisfy an outcome of participating in a community resource. The same individual could also be provided with a Home and Community Habilitation service that is home-based, scheduled Monday through Friday from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM to support him/her in achieving an outcome of independent meal preparation. This service may not overlap with or duplicate Companion Services. Home and Community Habilitation (Unlicensed) and Companion Services have a combined maximum limit of 24 hours (96 15-minute units) per participant per calendar day. This service should be coordinated with any service(s) that may be provided in the Specialized Therapies and Nursing Services category to ensure consistency in services to individuals across service settings.

Licensed Day Habilitation, Prevocational Services, Transitional Work Services, Supported Employment (direct service), and Home and Community Habilitation (unlicensed) services may not overlap in terms of day and time.