FAQs

General Questions

There are no fees for services for Connections participants. 

Connections provides services in Weld, Morgan, Sedgewick, Logan, Yuma, Phillips and Washington counties in Northeastern Colorado.

Connections does not own or lease residential facilities. However, Connections does manage its own Section 8 housing vouchers and provides support to people in acquiring independent housing.

Connections provides services for people of all disabilities and age ranges.

No. To be eligible for Connections’ services, you must only experience a disability that limits your ability to function independently. You will only be asked for a verbal confirmation of your disability and the way it affects or limits you from functioning independently in self-care, mobility, education, employment, or housing.

Housing

No, Connections for Independent Living does not own or lease residential units. We are an independent living center that specializes in helping people with disabilities live independently.

Connections maintains a housing list that includes all apartments and agencies that have available units. It is organized by accessible, affordable, family, and senior housing. Connections also qualifies individuals for Housing Choice (Section 8) vouchers issued by the Colorado Division of Housing.

There are income requirements based on how many people live in your household. You must also live with a disabling condition.

Our wait list closed on October 29, 2021. We will most likely reopen our list to new applicants in 2022.

At this time, our wait list is closed. We recommend you become a consumer with our organization to be alerted when our wait list is periodically reopened. We also promote the opening of our list through our website and social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The average wait time to be accepted for a Colorado Housing Choice voucher is from 12 to 36 months. Depending on your preferences and requirements, you may be placed higher on our list.

Our Colorado Housing Choice wait list is always changing owing to updates made to preferences. Owing to this, no specific number can be provided.

  • Studio Apartment: $995.00 monthly
  • 1 Bedroom units: $1,168.00 monthly
  • 2 Bedroom units: $1,490.00 monthly
  • 3 Bedroom units: $2,100.00 monthly
  • 4 Bedroom units: $2,310.00 monthly
  • 5 Bedroom units: $2,479.00 monthly

All rental units: if you are responsible for utility costs, they must be included in the allowable rental amounts listed above.

Listed rates are valid as of January 1, 2023.

Fill out the Instate Transfer Form and the Mutual Rescission of Lease signed by the landlord or a 30 Day Notice to Vacate form. Please note processing may take 30 days for approval by the Colorado Division of Housing.

Fill out the Mutual Rescission of Lease signed by the landlord or a 30 Day Notice to Vacate form.
Fill out the Family Request for Out of State Portability form. Please note processing may take up to 60 days for approval by the Colorado Division of Housing.

You’ll need the landlord paperwork. Included in this packet is the Landlord Obligations, Lead Based Paint Disclosure Form, W9, the Tenancy Addendum, and the Request for Tenancy Approval form. We cannot process anything until we have these forms back from the landlord.

Fill out a Family Reporting form and a Verification of Employment form, or a letter from your last employer, stating that you are no longer working at that company. Be certain to note your last day of employment.

Fill out a Family Reporting form and a Verification of Employment form. Please include a month of consecutive pay stubs.

The relative you want to rent from cannot live in the same unit as you. They must have their own home.

Fill out the Reasonable Accommodation Request form and have your doctor fill out and sign the Verification of Need form. Fill out the Rent from Relative form.

Fill out the Reasonable Accommodation Request form and have your doctor fill out and sign the Verification of Need form.  Fill out the Request to Add-Remove Relative form. All participants must have a social security card, birth certificate and an identification card. If this is for a minor child, you must provide custody/guardianship paperwork.

Call 800-772-1213, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., or visit Social Security online.

Your reexamination paperwork is as listed below. Please download, print, and complete these documents. Submit to your Connections housing specialist, along with income verifications, pay stubs, and bank statements.

In 1988 Congress extended the protections of the 1968 Fair Housing Act to include people with disabilities. Disability Law Colorado helps people advocate for their own housing rights.

Disability Law Colorado also negotiates with landlords and housing authorities, they take legal action when necessary, and they press for system changes to improve policies and funding for affordable, accessible, supportive housing. 

If you need advice or legal representation with regard to housing issues, please contact them

There are differences between service animals and assistance or companion animals:

  • Service Animal – This is defined by federal and Colorado law as a dog (or miniature horse) that has been individually trained to perform a specific task or service for a person with a disability.  A service animal is considered an extension of a person with a disability and is allowed in any place that is open to the public.  A service dog can only be excluded from a business or public place if it is out of control or not housebroken.
  • Companion or Assistance Animal – Companion and assistance animals are a product of federal and state laws regarding housing and are defined as animals that help a person with a disability alleviate one or more symptoms of their disability while in their home.  This can include a dog that barks when the doorbell rings to assist a person who has a hearing impairment or a cat that provides a person with bipolar disorder a reason to get up in the morning, take her medicine and go to work.  Only people with disabilities are entitled to have companion animals and even then, companion animals are only allowed in a person’s home.  Business owners and other places of public accommodation are not required to allow companion or assistance animals into their businesses.


For more information click here

Transitions

You must reside in a long-term care facility, also known as a nursing home. Anyone transitioning must qualify for Home Care Base Services (HCBS) with the Area Agency on Aging (AAA). Upon discharge from the facility, you must acquire homemaker and skilled care services within your community.

Your social worker, family member, or you must undergo Options Counseling through the Colorado Aging and Disability Resources by calling (970) 346-6952.

No, contact your Area Agency on Aging Case Manager to learn about community living alternatives and options that might allow you to move out from your long-term care facility into the community.

No, the waiting list for Medicaid-based rooms in assisted living communities is too long for our Transitions Program to assist. Contact the care facility social worker and your Area Agency on Aging case manager.

Your spouse or relative must undertake an extensive background check; they will only receive payment for specific tasks. Specific State of Colorado paperwork must be processed with your doctor for housing assistance and for any live-in aid. Please contact your Area Agency on Aging case manager and your housing coordinator for more information and/or potential programs.

You must be fully invested in this process, and be willing to participate in completing all necessary paperwork. There are four team meetings in which the resident must participate. You must be willing to set goals for community living.

ASL Interpreting Services

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires all organizations, companies, and agencies must provide appropriate accommodations for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. The only exception is for religious organizations. For more information, please explore these websites.

For many reasons, it is not appropriate for a family member to serve as an interpreter outside of casual conversations. This includes individuals who are not fluent in American Sign Language, individuals who cannot provide full and accurate interpretation, individuals who may have their own agenda or interest, or individuals who are too young to understand what is being discussed.

Fluency in American Sign Language is only one of several competencies necessary to effectively interpret. Interpreters must also know how to assess the communication preferences, or the language level of the deaf individual, and then adapt their interpretation to meet these needs. They must understand the meanings and intentions expressed in one language and express those meanings and intentions in the other language. Interpreters must be able to retain information and manage the flow of the communication, most often simultaneously in real time. They must understand and manage the cultural nuances of the environment, and follow professional and ethical standards that are set by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.

Individuals who have taken sign language classes or who are heritage speakers of ASL and who have not received formal training in interpretation, tend not to have the full array of competencies necessary to provide a well-produced interpretation.

Graduates from interpreter education programs most often do not possess all of the required competencies and are usually not ready to sit for professional certification. This trend does not imply that recent graduates should not be hired, only that care should be taken when pairing an interpreter with an interpreting assignment.

(Source: National Deaf Center.)

The use of deaf interpreters is increasingly common as institutions and private businesses work to meet the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act as it pertains to “effective communication.” Deaf interpreters engage in the same tasks as hearing interpreters, and most often work as a part of a deaf/hearing team. They are trained specialists with a keen understanding of the complexities of the communication exchange.

Deaf interpreters should be considered alongside, if not before, hearing interpreters. They often serve in high-risk situations, including the legal and healthcare fields. They also commonly provide services in situations where the hearing interpreter does not possess adequate interpreting skills to meet the specific communication needs of the individual. This can occur when the deaf individual uses a signed language that is not ASL, or has little or no proficiency in any language. Deaf interpreters are also used when the deaf interpreter possesses greater understanding of the complexities of the vocabulary or content to be conveyed in English and/or ASL than the hearing interpreter.

Although formal studies have not been conducted, anecdotal evidence suggests that because of the overall efficacy and efficiency of deaf/hearing interpreting teams, the expenses associated with hiring such a team are lower in the long term than the costs resulting from miscommunication and misunderstandings. Always consider the use of a deaf interpreter whenever possible.

(Source: National Deaf Center.)

There are many factors that influence how long one interpreter can interpret without experiencing mental and physical fatigue and risking repetitive stress injuries. Team interpreting is designed to mitigate overuse injuries and interpreter errors. To determine whether or not to use a team, consider the following factors.

  • The length and complexity of the assignment: As a general rule, a class over one hour should be teamed. However, the content and structure of the class must be considered. An hour-long class with technical terminology and complex content may require a team. Conversely, a three-hour class that is light lecture and mostly independent work may require only a single interpreter.
  • The unique needs and preferred communication mode of the individual: Tactile interpreting is labor intensive and often requires a team, regardless of the topic and length of time. Interpreting for individuals with weak language proficiency is another example.

(Source: National Deaf Center.)

Connections no longer provides interpreting services but you can reach out to Karen McCullah, former Director of Interpreting for Connections, at:
G2G Interpreting (678) 897-7086 (Colorado)
Another agency is:
Deaf Intervention Services (805) 704-0721 https://www.wydeafis.org/ (Wyoming)