CPCIDD co‑hosted “Housing for All: Best Practices in IDD Housing Development” in San Diego on October 20, 2025 — a full‑day symposium that convened regional center leaders, developers, assistive‑technology experts, self‑advocates, and housing partners to surface practical solutions for affordable, accessible housing for people with IDD.
Event Overview
What happened: The symposium brought together panels on financing and policy, assistive technology, regional housing partnerships, and lived‑experience testimony. Sessions emphasized cross‑sector collaboration, scalable housing access services, and technology‑enabled tenancy supports drawn from regional and statewide initiatives. Co‑hosts: CPCIDD and San Diego Regional Center (SDRC) led the program and partnered with developers, housing authorities, and service providers to highlight replicable models.
Why This Matters
The housing gap is large and urgent. CPCIDD’s statewide research shows tens of thousands of adults served by regional centers are rent‑burdened or at risk of homelessness; targeted, evidence‑based policy and program responses are needed to close the rent gap and expand accessible units. State housing research also documents systemic barriers — from physical accessibility to administrative practices — that limit housing options for people with disabilities.
Key takeaways (what practitioners and policymakers can use)
– Cross‑sector partnerships accelerate production. Developers, regional centers, housing authorities, and funders can structure set‑aside units, Project-Based Vouchers (PBV) commitments, and California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP) funding to make projects feasible.
– Assistive Technology (AT) expands independence and reduces staffing pressure. Pilot data show AT can increase safety and independence when paired with person‑centered planning and training.
– Housing access services and digital tools scale navigation and matching. Statewide expansions of roommate‑matching and Housing Access Services (Service Code 089) create replicable pathways for tenancy supports and equity‑focused outreach.
– Center lived experience in design. Self‑advocate testimony at the symposium underscored the importance of choice, dignity, and accessible design in every stage of development.
Speakers, partners, and resources
Featured speakers included regional center leaders, housing developers, assistive‑technology clinicians, and self‑advocates who shared case studies and project pipelines. Partners included SDRC, Alta California Regional Center, Chelsea Investment Corporation, StationMD, and housing collaboratives active across Southern California. Research & data: CPCIDD’s homelessness and housing needs report and regional data helped to inform the program framing and recommendations.
Next Steps
CPCIDD will continue to document promising practices, analyze policy levers, and publish nonpartisan recommendations that help planners, funders, and service systems scale inclusive housing — while remaining a research and policy center rather than a direct service or advocacy organization.
Resources from the Symposium
Self-Advocates Panel — San Diego Housing Symposium
A lively panel of self-advocates shares candid, hopeful stories about moving into independent, affordable housing—covering the paperwork hurdles, budgeting lessons, and the community supports that made it possible. From navigating applications and credit checks to finding programs like College Living Experience and Harrington Heights, each speaker offers practical tips, hard-won confidence, and moments of humor and heart. Watch the video to hear personal journeys of resilience, learn concrete steps for pursuing housing independence, and feel inspired by the real-life impact of San Diego’s housing programs:
The California Affordable Housing Agency presentation
The attached slide deck, Housing Authorities 101, is a clear, practitioner‑focused primer that explains how public housing systems, voucher programs, project‑based vouchers, and tax‑credit financing operate in California and why those mechanisms matter for creating affordable, accessible homes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; it traces the historical context of federal and state housing policy, summarizes key program types and acronyms (HCV, PBV, LIHTC, EHV, FUP, VASH), and highlights practical levers—set‑aside units, PBV commitments, CRDP seed funding, and PHA partnerships—that planners, regional centers, and developers can use to close rent gaps and sustain tenancies while navigating common operational challenges.
Innovations in Housing Access
This slide deck, presented by Mia Garza of the San Andreas Regional Center on October 20, 2025, outlines collaborative, practical strategies for expanding quality, sustainable, and accessible housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; it combines regional data, partnership models, project case studies (set‑aside units, master‑lease and transitional properties), and implementation tools—highlighting how coordinated funding (CRDP), developer partnerships, housing authorities, and tenancy supports can close rent gaps, preserve affordability, and strengthen community integration.
Assistive Technology Pilot
This slide deck summarizes the Assistive Technology Pilot (June 2023–June 2026), a multi‑agency effort led by DDS and regional partners to evaluate how person‑centered technology can increase safety, independence, and quality of life for people with IDD; it outlines the pilot’s scope (three agencies, ~30 participants), implementation strategies (assessment, vendor selection, training, and backup plans), and early outcomes—independence rising from 58% to 85%, perceived safety from 52% to 84%, with 96% of participants reporting choice in device selection and 91% satisfied with their inclusion—while emphasizing that technology complements, rather than replaces, in‑person supports and must be integrated with individualized planning, staff training, and clear response protocols.
Multi-Family Housing Projects
This slide deck, presented by John Decker of Alta California Regional Center, highlights the 2025–26 pipeline of new multifamily projects that expand affordable, accessible housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities—showcasing developer commitments (e.g., Brinshore’s 19 set‑aside units at 30–60% AMI), rehabilitation set‑asides through Mercy and Jamboree, and other shovel‑ready and planned developments that illustrate how targeted unit set‑asides, strategic partnerships, and financing tools can close rent gaps and create integrated housing opportunities across regions.
Roommate Matching Program
The OOMM slide deck outlines the statewide expansion of a technology‑enabled roommate‑matching platform developed by On My Own and adapted in partnership with DDS and regional centers to increase housing options and independence for adults with developmental disabilities; it explains the program model, CRDP start‑up funding for eight regional centers, the scope of Housing Access Services (pre‑tenancy and tenancy‑sustaining supports), accessibility features for Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities, and the project’s alignment with the Master Plan for Developmental Services to scale equitable, person‑centered housing navigation across multiple catchment areas.
SDRC Housing Presentation
This slide deck, delivered by Miguel Larios of the San Diego Regional Center, presents a practical roadmap for expanding inclusive, affordable housing across San Diego and Imperial counties by aligning regional data, developer partnerships, and targeted funding strategies; it highlights the rent‑gap challenge facing people with IDD, showcases set‑aside and master‑lease models, describes collaborative pipelines (including CRDP investments and Southern California Housing Collaborative projects), and emphasizes person‑centered tenancy supports and cross‑sector coordination as the levers that make integrated, sustainable housing possible.
StationMD Presentation
This slide deck from StationMD, presented by Dr. Maulik Trivedi, outlines a specialized telemedicine model tailored to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, explaining why emergency rooms often produce suboptimal outcomes for this population and how a clinician‑led, I/DD‑trained telehealth service can reduce traumatic transports, avoid unnecessary tests and hospitalizations, and deliver timely, person‑centered care in the home; the deck summarizes program reach and outcomes (high treat‑in‑place rates and strong satisfaction), practical use cases (medication reconciliation, behavior support, urgent medical questions), and evidence from provider pilots that demonstrate cost savings and improved continuity of care when telemedicine is integrated with agency supports.
