For Immediate Release

Contact:

Laura Brackin

The Arc of Louisiana

(225) 303-0463

Or:

Elbert Johns

TheArcLink Incorporated

(812) 323-0626

Innovative Housemate Matching Service now Available for People with Disabilities in Louisiana

A new online service for Louisiana matches an assisted living, independent living or group home vacancy with a person with disabilities who is seeking a new living arrangement.  The service is called Roommates, and is sponsored by The Arc of Louisiana.  Vacancy days mean people are not living where they want to.  Vacancies are valuable resources that go unused, perhaps wasted.  Roommates creates a practical solution that is easy to use.

“As services have evolved to smaller living arrangements and more people have developed privately funded housing arrangements, this is a critical new tool,” said Laura Brackin, Executive Director of The Arc of Louisiana.  No similar resource has been broadly available to the public before now.

Roommates matches people with the best possible living arrangement and supports.  To use Roommates, go to www.TheArcLink.org and click on Roommates. 

Providers can list vacancies, and include the types of accommodations they are able to support, information about the neighborhood, the special interests of other housemates, and other details about the vacancy. 

People with disabilities or their case managers, family members or advocates can create a listing with the zip code of the location they want to live in, the accommodations they need and other special interests or needs. 

Anyone can search for vacancies or for people looking for living arrangements.  A powerful search function can find a match based on any information in the listing.  Listings do not contain personal details like names and street addresses.

Staff from The Arc of Louisiana and the Department of Health and Hospitals were part of the concept team that developed the design specifications and did the beta testing.  Louisiana will use it to solve a problem in filling supported living waiver openings.  

Roommates is a service of TheArcLink Incorporated, a national nonprofit organization that provides information and resources to people with disabilities and their families.  Roommates is also being launched in Indiana, and is available to other states on a subscription basis.  For more information, or to schedule a free online tour, send an email to roommates@thearclink.org.

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