We offer a variety of services. Please contact us today to get started.
We offer our services to 50 counties in Central and Western Nebraska. Our services are offered free of charge, on a sliding fee scale, and fee for service. We work with consumers to help them achieve their chosen, community-based living goals. Consumers of the agency have a disabling condition where additional resources are needed for them to achieve their chosen community based living goals. We serve persons with disabilities across the age span with any type of disabling condition.
Learn more:
Independent Living Grant-Funding Services:
Current Initiatives:
Advocacy
IR supports Individual, self, and systems advocacy for persons with disabilities.
Individual advocacy is an action on behalf of, for, and most importantly with an individual, which may include confronting unacceptable conditions that infringe upon daily living.
Self-advocacy addresses specific issues in one’s own life by advocating on one’s own behalf like filing a complaint or talking to the local government to get sidewalks installed in your neighborhood
Systems advocacy is working to create change within a system, agency or jurisdiction. This can include speaking out on policy, laws, and practices that affect people with disabilities.
This is a grant-funded service.
Peer Mentoring and Networking
IR recognizes that persons with disabilities need to work through the emotions brought on by acquiring or having a disability.
It is our belief that the most appropriate person to assist with this process is another person with a disability. This sharing of life experiences empowers the individual to live as independently as they choose. Independence Rising offers one to one Peer Connection.
This is a grant-funded service.
Transition Services
The fifth core service came about as a result of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. This amendment was made to establish the fifth core service of transition.
There are different types of transition services offered through independent living. The following information explains the services:
- Reintegration
- The transition from living in an institutional setting to independent living in a community-based setting.
- Youth Transition
- The transition from high school to work or continued education.
This is a grant-funded service.
Peer Link
Peer Link is designed as a means of supporting individuals who experience mental health issues that want to live or plan to live in community-based living situations.
- Promote personal growth, self-esteem, and dignity by developing leadership and advocacy skills, and sharing information
- Provide assistance in crisis/relapse prevention through encouragement in mental health goals and action planning
- Develop a Wellness Recovery Action Plan with the individual and encourage them to utilize the plan as needed
- A relationship is established through the sharing of knowledge, beliefs, and experiences that promote mental health and wellness
- Individuals being served have the ability to manage their behavioral health symptoms successfully
- Peer coaching/mentoring to facilitate system navigation, access community resources, and engage with formal/informal resources and supports
- Build on current strengths of the individual
- Assist and encourage individuals to locate and join existing self-help groups
- Educate the individual about the peer support relationship
- Share peer staff experiences, skill, strengths, supports, and resources
- Meet the individual “where they are” in their mental healthcare process
- Model and present self-help activities
- Serve as a mental healthcare agent by providing opportunities and advocacy
- Collaborate to develop a person-centered plan and determine the steps needed
- Monitor independent living, mental healthcare support, plan and individual recovery supports
- Provide referrals to other behavioral health services
- Meet regularly face to face as needed as well as other communication determined by individual
This service is provided in Scottsbluff and Kimball counties only. This is a fee-for-service program.
Contact the Scottsbluff office for referrals or questions.
Nebraska Lifespan Respite
The Lifespan Respite Program pays for respite services to give the family caregiver a break. Respite means short-term relief to family caregivers from the demands of ongoing care for an individual with special needs.
Caregiving can be demanding. Getting respite care is important for your health and for your ability to continue to care for your loved one. Respite care provides relief for the family caregiver, whether it is for a few hours, a few days or a week. Take care of yourself!
- Lifespan respite will only provide services that are not covered through Medicaid services or other programs.
- Respite may be provided in the care receiver’s home or other caregiver-approved location. Families choose their own providers.
- The program provides up to $125 per client, per month.
For more information, contact Lindsey Durman, Central Nebraska Lifespan Coordinator, located at:
124 West 25th Street, Suite B4
St. James Square
Kearney, NE 68847
402-309-4344 | (866) Respite | (866) 737-7483
Finding funds for respite care isn’t always easy. Below is a guide that will help sort out some possible funding sources for you:
FAME – Family Peer Support
This is a fee-for-service program.
This program focuses on families and provides services and support to families raising a child or young adult who is experiencing social, emotional, addiction, or behavioral health challenges in their home, school, community, and/or placement.
What do Family Peer Support Specialists Do?
We are advocates for parents: We partner with families to assist them in identifying and reaching their goals. We work with families that have a youth with a mental health diagnosis such as ADHD, ODD, anxiety, and depression, or any diagnosis in the DSM-5. We can work with families that have a youth with autism when there is another diagnosis present.
Family Peer Support is a free, voluntary service to families. All Independence Rising Certified Peer support specialists are “peers”, licensed through the state and are parenting or have parented children with mental health or behavioral health challenges, providing the “been there, done that”, and true peer experience to share with parents.
The services we provide are individualized to the families’ needs and preferences. Here are a few of the ways we could help a family:
- Help families understand their child’s diagnosis and/or help them find resources to evaluate the child.
- Be part of the families’ team and attend team meetings, advocating for the family, making sure their voice is heard.
- Attend and/or take notes for parents at the team/IEP meetings, review meeting with parents to assist with clarification.
- Promote positive parenting and communication within the family, providing them with tools to aid in the process.
- Provide assistance locating resources for employment, housing, transportation, legal, medical, medication assistance, financial assistance, food stamps, disability and other issues and provide direction in completing paperwork.
Home Again Services
IR is a contracted provider for Home Again Services.
In order to receive home again services, consumers need to be eligible for the Aged and Disabled Medicaid Waiver. Home Again services provide consumers that are transitioning from institutions to community-based living with funding to reestablish their household.
Examples of items include:
- furnishings
- dishes
- sheets
- towels
- beds
- dressers
In some instances, deposits such as electric and gas can be funded. This is a fee-for-service program.
Independence at Home
Independence at Home, IAH, is a chore agency that provides services to individuals to assist them with living independently.
Services include:
- Assistance with light housekeeping
- Supervision
- Personal care
- Errands
- Meal Preparation
**Private pay, Waiver, and Block Grant payments accepted
Family Facilitating Services
IR has a contract with the Department of Health and Human Services, (DHHS), to provide services to families working with child protective services.
Services include:
- Family Support Services
- Supervision at Parent/Child Visitations
- Drug Testing
- Parent Education
This is a fee-for-service program.
“Back On Track” Youth Probation Family Support
IR has a contract with the Department of Nebraska Probation, to provide family support, face-to-face interventions with youth and families/guardians that are involved in youth probation.
Services include:
- Providing a positive atmosphere where youth can express themselves freely.
- Assisting youth with developing productive communication styles and habits.
- Providing independent living skills that youth can use in the future to become a productive member of society.
- Connecting youth to resources and programs in the community.
This is a fee-for-service program.
Classroom to Courtroom
Some students with disabilities benefit from alternative means of staying in the classroom. This initiative focuses on transition planning to prepare for independent living.
We offer services that assist students with a Cognitive Disability (CD), and/or Brain Injury (BI), and/or Learning Disability (LD), and/or Behavioral Health Challenge (BH) return to the classroom. Additionally, if entering into the juvenile justice system has occurred or is necessary, we offer new and unique supports and resources to assist such students to navigate their path and to successfully exit the juvenile justice system and connect to services in the community.
Independence Rising is working to develop a taskforce in this area in southwest Nebraska.
