Montana Independent Living Centers for Adults with Disabilities

What Independent Living Centers Do

Centers for Independent Living (CILs) are consumer-controlled, community-based organizations funded under Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act. They serve people with all types of disabilities — physical, intellectual, developmental, sensory, psychiatric — regardless of income, Medicaid status, or waiver enrollment. You do not need a referral. You do not need to be on any waitlist. You just walk in or call.

For families navigating the adult transition in Montana, CILs fill a gap that government agencies often leave open. While the DDP handles waiver services and VRBS focuses on employment, CILs focus on the practical mechanics of independent living: housing, transportation, self-advocacy, benefits navigation, and peer support from people who have done it themselves.

Montana's Independent Living Centers

Montana has four primary CILs covering different regions of the state:

Summit Independent Living serves western Montana from offices in Missoula, Hamilton, and Kalispell. Summit provides independent living skills training, peer counseling, housing assistance, and benefits advisement. They also run a youth transition program specifically designed for students with disabilities moving from school to adult life.

LIFTT (Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow) operates from Billings and serves eastern Montana. LIFTT offers independent living skills training, advocacy assistance, assistive technology lending, and community integration support. Their education resource program connects young adults with post-secondary training and community employment.

Ability Montana serves the north-central region from Great Falls. They provide independent living skills training, assistive technology, home modifications, and advocacy services. Ability Montana also coordinates with tribal communities to reach individuals with disabilities on reservations in their service area.

North Central Independent Living Services (NCILS) serves the Black Eagle and Great Falls area, focusing on housing access, employment preparation, and independent living skills for adults with physical and cognitive disabilities.

What CILs Offer That Other Agencies Do Not

CILs are philosophically different from case management agencies or state programs. The independent living model is built on four core principles: consumer control, peer support, self-determination, and community integration. In practice, this means:

Peer counseling. Unlike clinical counseling, peer support at a CIL comes from people with disabilities who have navigated the same systems. A young adult leaving school and facing the SSI redetermination, the DDP application, and the question of where to live can talk with someone who has done all of that — not a case worker reading from a manual.

Self-advocacy training. CILs teach individuals how to advocate for themselves in IEP meetings, SSA interviews, and DDP interactions. This is particularly valuable for young adults using Supported Decision-Making, where the individual retains their own authority but needs skills and confidence to exercise it.

Housing assistance. Finding accessible, affordable housing in Montana is difficult in any market, but for adults with disabilities transitioning from the family home, CILs provide practical help — identifying accessible units, navigating Section 8 applications, understanding landlord obligations under the ADA, and connecting with local housing authorities.

Benefits navigation. CIL staff can help with the nuts-and-bolts questions that fall between agency jurisdictions: how a part-time job affects SSI, how to report income changes, how to handle the 1619(b) Medicaid continuation, and how to coordinate ABLE account contributions with the resource limit.

When to Contact a CIL During the Transition

The optimal window is during the last two years of school, while the IEP team is still actively working on transition planning. CILs can:

• Participate in transition IEP meetings as a community partner (the school should be inviting them)
• Begin independent living skills training before the student exits school
• Help the family identify housing and community integration goals that align with the IEP transition plan
• Connect the student with peer mentors who have made the same transition

After school exit, CIL involvement often continues for years. These are not time-limited services — an individual can maintain a relationship with their CIL indefinitely.

CILs and the 0208 Waiver Waitlist

While an individual waits for a 0208 Comprehensive Waiver slot — an average of seven years — CIL services are available immediately and at no cost. They do not replace waiver services (CILs do not provide residential habilitation, day programming, or clinical supports), but they address the independent living skill-building and community connections that the waiver system does not prioritize during the waitlist period.

The Montana SSI at 18 & Adult Benefits Guide includes contact information for each Montana CIL alongside the DDP regional offices, VRBS counselors, and SSA field offices in the four-queue contact directory.

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