The Heller School for Social Policy and Management

Welcome to the Community Living Policy Center!

People with disabilities and older adults in the United States have the constitutional right to live in the community, but systemic barriers and inconsistent federal, state, and local policies can prevent them from exercising their rights. The Community Living Policy Center, or CLPC, at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University, conducts research on the provision and quality of home- and community-based service programs for people with disabilities in the United States.

The Community Living Policy Center receives grant funding from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Click here to subscribe to our email list to receive informational updates and news on upcoming webinars. 

Call for Submissions

A graphic saying, “National Disability Employment Awareness Month - October 2021. Disability @ Work: We want to highlight the stories of workers with disabilities.” The words are written on a dark-blue background, and the word “highlight” is highlighted in yellow and uses in a handwritten font.

Click on the image for more information or visit the submission page here.

CLPC in the News

Henry Claypool, a national policy expert for CLPC, is cited in a news story that has been widely republished for his expertise on the Better Care Better Jobs Act. The Act would provide much-needed investment so that disabled people and the elderly would be better able to receive care in their homes instead of having to move into a nursing facility.

See the new brief by the CLPC, which explains why people with disabilities and older adults need home- and community-based services and how the Better Care Better Jobs Act will help them get in-home care.

A report on the Commonwealth Fund's projects with the Long-Term Quality Alliance on data relating to long-term services and supports notes the work of the CLPC in several Commonwealth Fund projects, including a project on the impact of COVID-19 on Medicaid enrollees receiving home- and community-based services.

The critical research work of the CLPC and its partners to advance community living policies is featured in the summer 2021 issue of the Heller Magazine. 

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to show why disability communities must be a part of research and policy development. 

What's Happening at the CLPC:

Conversation on the Use of Pain and Shock on People with Disabilities
On October 12, 2021 at noon ET, the Community Living Policy Center, the Lurie Institute, and the Brandeis Legal Studies Program present a conversation with author Jan Nisbet on the use of pain at the Judge Rotenberg Center as treatment for children and adults with disabilities. Interview of the author of the first book on the JRC will be followed by a panel and audience discussion. Please pre-register here.

Webinar: 6,000 Waiting and Discussion

On October 27, 2021, the Community Living Policy Center and the Lurie Institute present the film 6,000 Waiting, followed by a 30-minute discussion with Naomi, Ben, and Nick, featured in the film. The film documents three Georgia residents with disabilities and their fight to access Now/Comp Waiver funding that would allow them to live life on their own terms. Please pre-register here.

Policy Brief: The Better Care Better Jobs Act and Home- and Community-Based Services

This brief explains how the Better Care Better Jobs Act will help people with disabilities and older adults who need home- and community-based services (HCBS) to stay in the community and out of nursing homes and other institutions. The Act builds on existing HCBS funding from the American Rescue Plan. 

The Biden-Harris Administration's Caregiving Initiative: Investing in Medicaid HCBS

On June 16, 2021, the Community Living Policy Center held a webinar on the Biden-Harris Administration's historic proposal to invest $400 billion in the Medicaid HCBS program to create jobs and expand access to services.