Success Stories

A smooth transition from a skilled care facility to the community requires the commitment and support of many programs and people. Sarah, a Rehabilitation Counselor with the Independent Living Program at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, is one of these vital individuals.

Sarah has been working in this field for over 10 years. With a background in mental health, Sarah is no stranger to providing support to others. She gets to do that and more in her role as a Rehabilitation Counselor.

“The job is a lot of fun. It feels like volunteering. I get to go into people's homes and really impact their life. I help with things that we take advantage of every day.”

As a Rehabilitation Counselor within the Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities (EIPD) of DHHS, one of Sarah’s main goals, and the goal of Independent Living, is to keep people at home who can stay at home. Another top priority of Independent Living is to support people to move out of institutions, and they work regularly with Money Follows the Person to make these transitions happen. Together, Money Follows the Person and Independent Living determine what is needed for an individual to move back into the community.

Sometimes, the individual moves in with family, and home modifications are all that’s needed. Sarah described one such instance, when a participant learned about Money Follows the Person and was able to transition back into the community.

The participant had lived in a skilled nursing facility for years and their family was eager to move them to a home they owned, close to their own. Sarah, in collaboration with the MFP Program, was able to help this participant make a successful transition by adding a ramp to the home’s entrance and modifying the bathroom to make it fully accessible. The participant has thrived since transitioning back into the community.

Other times, an individual moves into a new residence and needs all of the essentials to get their new life started. Sarah loves assisting with making their new house a home, and one of her favorite tasks is heading to Walmart to get the kitchen necessities like pots and pans, grocery and laundry items, and more. In some instances, Independent Living can help a person transitioning with money for rent and utilities, while they get established.

Sarah says, “It's really important that we get all of the puzzle pieces aligned before someone transitions.” And thankfully, through the work of Independent Living and Money Follows the Person, many of those puzzle pieces fall into place and individuals across the state are able to transition back into their communities and live independently.