Sonoma — Independent living support directory

Serving Counties: Lake, Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma

California Independent Living Center Directory

Information and Referral means hearing a person’s story and understanding what their needs are. It means being a good listener, asking questions and giving helpful information or referrals to other agencies or people who can help.

Advocacy has two sides: Individual and systems. Individual advocacy means an ILC staff member may accompany a person to medical appointments, housing interviews, Social Security visits or meetings with Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors. Systems change means the ILC may do things like advocate to a transit agency for better routes or buses. ILCs may also help by advocating for curb cuts, street crossings, buildings or anything else that will help all people have equal access to society.

Independent Living Skills are any skills that can help an individual with a disability do what they want to do on their own. Things like budgeting, public transportation training, Assistive technology training and social skills can all be part of independent living skills.

Peer Counseling is based on the idea that people with disabilities know best how to take care of themselves. Peer counselors are people with disabilities who can serve as mentors or resources to other people with disabilities who face challenges in living independently.

Transition can mean helping a person to move from a nursing home to a place to live independently in their own community. It can also mean helping a young person to move to their next steps after high School. Diversion includes services that help people with what they need to live independently in their own home so they do not have to live in a nursing home.

Personal Assistants can help with a variety of needs for some people with disabilities. Hiring, training and letting go of Personal Assistants is something that people who use them need to learn how to do. ILCs can provide training in these tasks and help people who need these assistants to find them.

Some people with disabilities may require places to live that are accessible to wheelchairs or other assistive technology. They may need help finding places to live that are affordable on a fixed income. ILCs can help people to get signed up with affordable housing lists and apply for Section 8 vouchers. They can help people with disabilities to understand and advocate for their right to accessible housing.

Assistive Technology is a device or a service which helps a person with a disability to do personal or work-related tasks. Independent Living Centers can provide training in different types of Assistive Technology and help people with disabilities to find their own Assistive Technology devices or services.

If you have a disability and want to live more independently, you may be able to benefit from Independent Living Services. Reach out to your local Independent Living Center for more information on getting involved using the link below.

Disability Services & Legal Center (DSLC)

711 Video Relay (TTY no longer supported)

Santa Rosa Office – Main Office 418 B Street, 3rd Floor Santa Rosa, CA 95401 Telephone: (707) 528-2745

Monday to Friday • 8:30am - 5:00pm (Closed from 12pm to 1pm for lunch.)

Napa Office 1820 Jefferson Street Napa, CA 94559 Telephone: (707) 258-0272

Ukiah Office 415 B Talmage Road Ukiah, CA 95482 Telephone: (707) 463-8875

Matrix Parents at Marin CIL provides parent-focused support and services for the families of children living with disabilities and opportunities for disabled children and youth. Through our peer-led support groups and information and referral materials, we help families of very young children around diagnosis. Our Parent Advisors collaborate with parents in ensuring educational access through early childhood services and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) support, including training workshops and one-on-one IEP case conferencing. For integration-aged youth and adults, we aim to help create and sustain an individual's independent living on their own terms. We proudly provide these services in English and Spanish for families living in Marin, Solano, Sonoma, and Napa counties. Start Here To get started, please call our helpline at 800-578-2592 or info@matrixparents.org.