FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JANUARY 17, 2023

Media Contact: Ryan Ann Davis, Smarthouse Creative, 206-491-3738

SPOKANE, Wash.— Jan. 17, 2023 — Washington State-based Partners4Housing is proud to announce it has been awarded a grant from the Developmental Disabilities Council’s Dan Thompson Memorial Fund for the purpose of providing free Benefits And Housing Reviews to Washington families. The Benefits And Housing Reviews will help thousands of families begin planning the future for their Loved One with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

More than 13,000 families in Washington State have adults with IDD living at home. The grant will make it possible for 6,688 of these families to access Partners4Housing’s Benefits And Housing Review (RA) at no cost to them. The RA is an easy-to-follow online questionnaire, which includes a follow up consultation that guides families in understanding all the benefits their loved one qualifies for. It helps families make a plan and explore housing possibilities. Eligible families will also have free access to Partners4Housing’s Roommate Matching Pool, which can connect families of individuals with IDD to other families and potential roommate opportunities.

“Families need long-term, sustainable housing solutions for their loved ones with IDD, especially as parents and caregivers age. This grant project will help us reach 50% of these families and help them plan for the future,” says Pamela Blanton, CEO and Founder of Partners4Housing.

Partners4Housing will distribute many of these free RAs through Washington non-profit organizations including PEACE NW, Arc of Whatcom County, Arc of Snohomish County, Pierce County Coalition for Developmental Disabilities, Arc of King County and Arc of Washington.

Any families or caregivers interested in accessing their no-cost Benefits And Housing Review may do so at https://signup.partners4housing.com/promo/.

Partners4Housing has a long and successful history of empowering Washington families to create housing solutions that meet the unique needs of their family member with IDD. The organization was created in 2010 after founder and CEO Pam Blanton realized there had to be a better way for families of individuals with IDD to find roommates and set up shared housing solutions.

Since 2014, they’ve helped families in Washington set up 50 shared living homes that serve 115 people with IDD. We’ve also helped more than 600 families access benefits for their Loved Ones through the Benefits And Housing Review.

Many families who have worked with Partners4Housing have expressed how surprised they were at resources they didn’t know were available to them, and how the online questionnaire and consultation helped them make sense of a challenging situation. Says Natalie H. (full name withheld), _“_My first impression of the Benefits And Housing Review was its absolute thoroughness. It covers so many aspects of my daughter’s life. It was inspiring; it gave us courage; it gave us hope. It gave us energy to take the necessary steps to move through the process.”

Says CEO Blanton, “We are so excited to launch this project, which will allow us to make a significantly larger impact in Washington State, and we know we will help so many families, both now and in the future.”