Tell Me More about Independent Living Services
Independent living services are available to any individual who self-identifies as having any disability. At a minimum, these services include: information and referral, individual and systems advocacy, independent living skills training, cross disability peer counseling, and transition services (both out of assisted living facilities and for transition aged youth) and are provided by each of Colorado’s nine non-profit Centers for Independent Living (CILs). CILs work to support community living and independence based on the belief that all people with disabilities can live with dignity, make their own choices, and participate fully in society.
The Office of Independent Living Services is a unit that resides within the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and oversees the State’s contracts with all nine CILs. These state contracts provide state and federal funding to CILs in order for them to provide independent living services at no-cost to individuals with disabilities in Colorado.
Centers for Independent Living
Core Services
These Centers for Independent Living are consumer-driven and community-based private, nonprofit agencies. Each provides an array of independent living services for people with disabilities, including but not limited to visual impairments, hearing impairments, physical disabilities, psychiatric disabilities and cognitive disabilities. Each center provides core services:
- Information and referral
- Individual and systems advocacy
- Independent living skills training
- Cross disability peer counseling
- Transition services for youth, people leaving nursing homes or at risk of entering nursing homes
Other CIL Services
Other services are also available that may be necessary to improve the ability of an individual with a significant disability to function, continue functioning, or move toward functioning independently in the family or community or to continue in employment.
CIL Services May Include:
- Counseling
- Housing
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)/Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Application Assistance
- Assistance with employment
- Rehabilitation technology
- Mobility training
- Interpreter and reader services
- Personal assistance services
- Community resource guides and directories
- Transportation
- Consumer information programs
Find Your Local Center for Independent Living
Atlantis Community (Denver)
Counties Served: Adams, Arapahoe, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Jefferson
Website: Atlantis Community
Phone: (303) 733-9324
Center for Independence (Grand Junction)
Counties Served: Chaffee, Delta, Eagle, Garfield, Gunnison, Hindsdale, Lake, Mesa, Montrose, Ouray, Pitkin, San Miguel
Website: Center for Independence
Phone: (970) 241-0315
Center for People with Disabilities (Boulder)
Counties Served: Adams, Boulder, Broomfield, Gilpin, Jefferson, Weld
Website: Center for People with Disabilities
Phone: (303) 442-8662
Center Toward Self-Reliance (Pueblo)
Counties Served: Alamosa, Baca, Bent, Conejos, Costilla, Crowley, Custer, Fremont, Huerfano, Kiowa, Las Animas, Mineral, Otero, Prowers, Pueblo, Rio Grande, Saguache
Website: Center Toward Self-Reliance
Phone: (719) 546-1271
Colorado Springs Independence Center (Colorado Springs)
Counties Served: Cheyenne, El Paso, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Park, and Teller
Website: Colorado Springs Independence Center
Phone: (719) 471-8181
Connections for Independent Living (Greeley)
Counties Served: Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld (shared), and Yuma
Website: Connections for Independent Living
Phone: (970) 352-8682
Disabled Resource Services (Fort Collins)
Counties Served: Jackson and Larimer
Website: Disabled Resource Services
Phone: (970) 482-2700
NorthWest Colorado Center for Independence (Steamboat Springs)
Counties Served: Grand, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt, and Summit
Website: Northwest Colorado Center for Independence
Phone: (970) 871-4838
Southwest Center for Independence (Durango)
Counties Served: Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, and San Juan
Website: Southwest Center for Independence
Phone: (970) 259-1672
Get Help Applying for Disability Benefits in Colorado
Help Applying for SSI/SSDI
Did you know Centers for Independent Living can be a resource in helping individuals applying for SSI/SSDI?
We can connect you with a Center for Independent Living in your area: Help Applying for Disability Benefits
Watch the following video or watch the Spanish version, "