COLORADO SPRINGS INDEPENDENCE CENTER

We will create a national model for sustaining the work of Independent Living Centers through our partnership with home health organizations and the entire healthcare field.

Through our home healthcare services, we generate revenue that allow us to also to provide a full array of independent living services, which creates the opportunity to advocate for and remove barriers to accessible healthcare for people of all disabilities. Our work gives people with disabilities the opportunity to direct their own care the way they want to receive it, by whom they want to provide those services, and at the time they want to receive the services. When our work is finished, people with disabilities will be fully accepted, employed, and welcomed throughout the six counties we serve.

The Independence Center is the local home of civil rights for people with disabilities. We support and promote these civil rights throughout our service area which includes El Paso, Cheyenne, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Park, and Teller counties. As role models, we sit, stand, or lie at the point where people with disabilities decide whether to create the life they desire or give in and resign themselves to society’s reduced expectations. Our staff, programs, and even our building demonstrate that people with disabilities can live, learn, work, play, and participate in civic life as equals. Center staff embody a wide range of visible and hidden disabilities, modeling empowerment for those we serve.

We work with individuals and the community to identify and remove barriers that prevent or hinder people with disabilities from living in the community and participating in community life.

• Expand Home Health and Independent Living services into areas that we serve to meet our mission
• Create diverse funding streams to support our mission and those we serve
• Build brand identify in the community, create awareness around the needs of people with disabilities
• Execute marketing and public relations strategies to increase awareness about people with disabilities, the IC, and our impact in the
community
• Strengthen partnerships with local and state community partners in the Senior Healthcare, VA, and human services arenas
• Support and execute high quality donor and consumer stewardship practices
• Thoroughly vet business and program development decisions to ensure mission focus
• Maintain continuous improvement activities, always look for process improvement-track data or ways to improve outcomes
• Recruit disability representation throughout all aspects of our staff and Board
• Continue to empower and work with people with disabilities to advocate for making local and state changes to create an accessible,
inclusive community
• We are recognized by the community as disability experts

The Independence Center has been growing and reaching the needs each year of more people living with disabilities. We have a solid and positive reputation as an organization making a difference to those we serve and serving as a voice for those who may be at times unheard.

Our capability comes from
• Strong financial foundation
• Leading daily with mission and core values
Mission: Working with people with disabilities, their families, and the community, we create independence so that all may thrive.
Core Values: Inclusiveness, Flexibility, Person First, Accountability, Integrity
• Passionate, educated, and knowledgeable staff who believe in the work we do and the people we serve
• Strong staff and Board leadership
• A culture of continuous process improvement
• Intentional planning processes that ensure we are mission driven with our programs, outreach, and advocacy
• Core competencies around marketing, knowledge of disability, customer service, efficiency, and the development of people

We continue to reach more people with more services, allowing those we serve to live the life they desire. This growth has been thoughtfully and strategically managed. We plan and conduct our work in a financially responsible way in order to achieve long-term stability. A few highlights of what we’ve been up to lately include:

• We served 2,297 Independent Living consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We kept consumers and staff safe by offering our services and programs virtually.
• We provided 6,993 Independent Living services in 2020.
• We conducted 150,172 home visits in 2016 and by 2020, have grown to 222,352.
• We increased the number of individuals receiving services in our five rural counties and have a strong presence/recognition.
• Our Veterans in Charge program allows us to meet the needs of veterans with veteran-directed home and community-based services
focused on keeping veterans in their homes and communities.
• We partnered with the county to ensure equal access to vaccine resources.
• With support from the Pikes Peak Community Foundation Emergency Foundation, we provided thousands of clear masks to the community to help increase communication for d/Deaf and hard of hearing (DHOH) individuals, and others, during the pandemic.
• As part of our commitment to civil rights for people with disabilities, we provided a fully accessible building for community members to exercise their vote in the 2020 election.
• We hosted the Art of Accessibility event so that we could create a deliberate space for artists with disabilities. This new experience was
awarded the Best Gallery Award by the Pikes Peak Arts Council.
• Collaborated with 3 Foundations and 1 hospital to pilot the Hospital to Home Transitions Program which seeks to tackle the issue of
unnecessary nursing home placements. The pilot was so successful that this work continued as a program of The Independence
Center in partnership with UCHealth.
• We continue to maintain 82% of our expenses for programs, beating the gold standard of 75% for program expenditure by nonprofits.