Socially Inclusive Housing Design & Development Consulting
Cottage Home Cluster Communities™ and policy architecture for socially inclusive affordable housing in California.
Our mission is to create socially inclusive communities where people with intellectual disabilities live alongside diverse populations in dignified, community-based affordable housing.
Our Approach: Cottage Home Cluster Communities™
High Impact Living (HIL) addresses California's escalating housing challenges by championing a transformative solution: Cottage Home Cluster Communities.
This model offers a vital alternative to traditional institutional housing, promoting inclusion, autonomy, and belonging for diverse populations including older adults, neurodiverse individuals (such as those with I/DD), veterans, and others with long-term support needs.
Unlike conventional housing programs that often segregate individuals by diagnosis or age, our intentionally designed, small-scale neighborhoods are built upon three foundational principles:
- Intentionality – thoughtfully planned communities foster natural connection, privacy, and walkable shared space.
- Inclusion – residents span generations and include aging adults, veterans, and neurodiverse individuals.
- Belonging – design encourages mutual recognition, peer support, and neighborhood-level identity.
Support Model: Built on Regional Center Services
Cottage Home Cluster Communities™ are intentionally designed so residents can receive Regional Center–funded Supported Living Services (SLS), Independent Living Services (ILS), and other DDS supports in their own homes. Instead of creating a private, proprietary program model, HIL uses existing public funding streams and lets individualized supports follow the person into a socially inclusive neighborhood.
Key Community Principles
Socially Inclusive
Cottage Communities extend affordable housing to all populations qualifying by income, regardless of age, disability, family status, or background. HIL ensures true inclusion by using income as the primary gateway while providing customized support tailored to individual needs. For example, a veteran receives trauma-informed care, a senior gets aging-in-place support, a person with I/DD accesses developmental services, and a single parent receives childcare resources—all within the same community, qualifying based on income, and each receiving the specific supports necessary to thrive.
Resident-Driven
HIL empowers community members with a real voice and choice in how their neighborhood operates. Residents actively lead decision-making processes, from selecting cottage mates to planning community activities, with appropriate support. This empowerment model moves beyond traditional service delivery, fostering authentic community ownership and self-determination. Central to this is the expectation that all residents contribute to community life through shared responsibilities, whether through cottage maintenance, meal preparation, garden care, or peer support. This mutual commitment cultivates interdependence, where everyone both gives and receives, fostering genuine investment in the community's success.
A Healthy, Vibrant Place to Be
HIL designs living spaces that recognize the profound impact of environment on well-being. We intentionally create attractive and uplifting surroundings—beautiful landscaping, thoughtful architecture, well-maintained common areas, and inspiring design elements that foster hope and dignity. This approach emphasizes that well-cared-for environments have transformative power on mental health, social connection, and personal motivation, enabling residents to thrive and meet their full potential.
This vision represents more than a response to housing scarcity; it is a direct response to isolation, fragmentation, and the limitations of earlier institutional-era models. HIL's Cottage Home Cluster Communities create pathways for people to age in place, thrive with minimal intervention, and build relationships that transcend service categories.
While not a singular solution to mass homelessness, these communities serve as a crucial pilot for reshaping public funding priorities. HIL advocates for shifting away from warehouse-style shelters and institutional group homes towards person-centered, community-inclusive models. By demonstrating that vulnerable populations can truly thrive in supportive neighborhood settings, these communities offer a proof of concept for broader housing policy reform. They challenge the conventional wisdom that only emergency response and crisis intervention are viable, instead proposing that preventive, relationship-rich environments reduce long-term costs and significantly improve quality of life. As successful pilots, Cottage Communities can inform new funding streams, zoning reforms (like supporting efforts with the Draft Adaptive Reuse Ordinance), and service delivery models that prioritize dignity and self-determination over surveillance and compliance. Ultimately, HIL's approach builds a bridge between emergency housing responses and the inclusive, stable communities that should be the ultimate goal of public investment in human services, strengthening connections and honoring the full humanity of all residents.
Advancing California's DDS Housing Vision
Building on the Set-Aside Model Through Customized, Inclusive Design
California's inclusive housing groundwork is already laid. Through the DDS Multifamily Housing Program, more than 50 developments statewide now include dedicated set-aside units for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities—creating nearly 700 homes with over $60 million in state investment. These projects align with the Olmstead vision of full community participation—people with I/DD living alongside seniors, families, and working adults in affordable, well-designed housing. High Impact Living™ extends that vision by turning inclusion into intention. Our Cottage Home Cluster model evolves the DDS approach from isolated set-asides within large complexes to human-scale neighborhoods where inclusion is the organizing principle.
California's Department of Developmental Services (DDS) has established a strong foundation for community living through its Set-Aside Housing Initiative, funded under the Community Resource Development Plan (CRDP). These projects have already proven that inclusive, community-based housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) is both achievable and transformative.
High Impact Living™ (HIL) builds on this DDS legacy—offering a next-generation approach that deepens inclusion through customized architecture and Universal Design.
How Cottage Communities Extend Set‑Aside Housing
- Human-scale clusters instead of isolated units in very large buildings.
- Universal Design and sensory-aware architecture applied to entire neighborhoods, not a few units.
- Neighborhoods designed around person–environment fit, guided by George Braddock's (author of Making Homes That Work) principles.
Our Cluster Community™ framework complements the Set-Aside model by embedding person-centered design principles directly into the physical environment.
Drawing inspiration from George Braddock (author of Making Homes That Work)'s pioneering work in person–environment fit, HIL applies the same philosophy at the systems level—ensuring that every home and surrounding neighborhood is designed to reflect the strengths, preferences, and sensory realities of the people who live there.
The DDS Housing Map highlights the statewide progress already underway. HIL's role is to help advance that vision—guiding future CRDP and Set-Aside investments toward architecturally distinctive, universally accessible, and socially inclusive communities that expand choice, independence, and belonging for all Californians.
These DDS investments prove inclusive housing can be built; High Impact Living™ shows how to deepen that inclusion and extend it to mixed‑population cottage communities. These investments establish the capital foundation; the next step is ensuring long-term operating accessibility for the residents they are intended to serve.
From DDS Set-Asides to Cluster Communities
Why California Still Needs a State-Funded Common Use Housing Voucher
California's Department of Developmental Services (DDS) has built a strong inclusive-housing foundation through its Multifamily Housing and Set-Aside model, bringing homes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) into larger affordable housing communities.
These developments are typically financed through tools such as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and supported by Community Placement Plan / Community Resource Development Plan (CPP/CRDP) investments.
The system successfully builds the unit, but cannot reliably deliver the tenant.
High Impact Living™ builds directly on this foundation by extending the same inclusion principles into intentionally designed, human-scale neighborhoods.
The Core Issue: Operating Affordability & the "Voucher Desert"
While DDS and LIHTC financing address the capital side of housing development, rents in these projects are still generally tied to Area Median Income (AMI), not to SSI/SSP-level incomes.
- Oversubscribed and rationed.
- Intermittent, funding‑round dependent.
- Often tied to specific projects, not people.
A voucher desert is a place where housing exists, but reliable operating subsidies do not consistently reach the people those homes are meant to serve.
Why Section 811 Is Not Enough
Section 811 Project Rental Assistance is important—but it is project-based and program-limited, not universal.
Section 811 (Project-Based)
- Project-based
- Limited
- Tied to specific developments
State Universal Voucher (Tenant-Based)
- Portable
- Usable across populations and settings
- Follows the resident
A UHV complements HUD Section 811 by creating a reliable affordability layer across the entire housing system. HUD Section 811 creates affordability within selected projects; it does not establish a universal affordability platform across the housing system.
Why This Matters for Cluster Communities
Without a common operating subsidy, mixed-population housing remains financially fragile. A Universal Housing Voucher stabilizes it.
- Makes mixed‑population affordability work across I/DD, seniors, veterans, and low‑income households.
- Lets subsidy follow the person into DDS set‑asides, LIHTC, and Cottage Communities.
- Aligns with emerging state‑level voucher frameworks already being discussed.
A Universal Housing Voucher is the operating layer that unlocks the full value of California's inclusive housing system.
Bottom Line
California has already shown how to build inclusive housing through DDS Set-Asides and related capital tools.
Section 811 shows how deep affordability can work within specific projects.
A Universal Housing Voucher is the next step.
Our Services
High Impact Living™ offers comprehensive services to champion truly inclusive and affordable housing solutions. We leverage our expertise to transform housing concepts into thriving, inclusive communities.
Housing Development Consulting. We guide inclusive housing development from concept to construction.
Our work centers Universal Design, accessibility, adaptability, and dignity for all residents.
Policy & Systems Architecture. We align housing projects with essential legal and regulatory frameworks.
Our systems prioritize inclusive housing, compliance, and self-determination for people with I/DD.
Community Integration Planning. We plan for meaningful inclusion within mainstream affordable housing communities.
Our focus is on belonging, mutual support, and strong neighborhood connection.
Partnership Development. We build collaborations that move inclusive housing projects forward.
By uniting mission-aligned partners, we accelerate impact and strengthen implementation.
Legacy I/DD Home Makeovers
Transforming Campus-Style Group Homes into Socially Inclusive Living Environments
Across California, many adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities still live in legacy campus and “six-pack” group home models. These settings often feature shared bedrooms, institutional layouts, and campus-style siting that isolate residents from community life.
- Dedicated grant or pilot stream for environmental makeovers.
- Upgrades to person-centered, aging-ready, socially inclusive homes.
- No displacement of residents or loss of long-standing relationships.
This strategy complements new housing development by ensuring existing housing stock can also meet modern expectations for inclusion and aging in place.
High Impact Living™ serves as the experience-design partner — environmental assessment, design adaptation, and community inclusion planning.
By investing in transformation rather than replacement, DDS can modernize California's housing infrastructure sustainably — preserving the relational heart of legacy homes while aligning them with today's values of choice, autonomy, and belonging.
Evolution of I/DD Housing → Toward Socially Inclusive Community Living (2030s)
Fairview Developmental Center Social Inclusion Initiative: Positioning for Partnership
Fairview Developmental Center is a once‑in‑a‑generation opportunity to convert a former developmental center into a mixed-income, mixed-ability community.
The Fairview Developmental Center, a site steeped in history, stands at a pivotal moment for inclusive reuse and mixed-income, mixed-ability housing. This initiative, championed by HIL in partnership with Affordable Housing Developer Hugh Martinez, presents a strategic advocacy to integrate meaningful inclusion for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) within the broader repurposing of the former institution.
This high-level proposal outlines the expertise and commitment of HIL and Affordable Housing Developer Hugh Martinez to support the main developer as partners or subcontractors. Our focus is on contributing to the Fairview site becoming a model for socially inclusive housing, with supportive services for I/DD residents embedded, accessible, and tailored to individual needs without isolating them from the broader community.
Overall Site Context: Current Conditions
Overall Site Context: Redevelopment Concept
Timely Advocacy Opportunity
Current plans for the Fairview site propose 2,300-4,000 residential units, including 920+ affordable units, across approximately 109-121 acres. The Specific Plan is anticipated for completion by late 2026, creating a timely opening to advocate for inclusion from the outset.
- HIL and Hugh Martinez can deliver up to 25% of homes specifically designed for adults with I/DD as part of an inclusive master plan, under the selected developer.
- That approach positions Fairview as a flagship for inclusive, mixed‑population communities rather than a special‑needs enclave.
A Collaborative Partnership 🤝
HIL, in close collaboration with Affordable Housing Developer Hugh Martinez, aims to be recognized as an inclusion-capable partner to the main developer. This is a positioning framework, not a confirmed plan.
Advocating for I/DD Inclusion 🌟
Central to our vision is ensuring individuals with I/DD are meaningfully included in the redevelopment, with housing and support services integrated into the broader community. This moves beyond institutional models toward independence, dignity, and full participation in community life.
Transforming a Legacy 🏡➡️🌳
Fairview offers an opportunity to transform a legacy of segregation into one of inclusion. The goal is a physical place and a new community that embraces diversity, promotes interdependence, and improves quality of life for all residents.
This initiative represents a strategic framework for what is possible through partnership, rather than a confirmed plan. It is a powerful and timely advocacy for positioning HIL and Affordable Housing Developer Hugh Martinez as critical partners for the future of Fairview, while honoring its historical ties to the I/DD community.
🏠 High Impact Living™
Housing Options Snapshot
These are the main housing pathways for adults with I/DD and neurodivergent differences in California; HIL can help you understand which fits your situation.
While California regional centers are ultimately the hub for resources related to I/DD, we provide a public resource of curated housing options for families and advocates of I/DD and neurodivergent individuals in California. Navigating these options can feel overwhelming — High Impact Living™ is pleased to offer this overview as a free public service. Feel free to contact us for more detailed information.
California Housing Options at a Glance
1. 🏡 Licensed Group Homes
24/7 supervised homes, 4–6 I/DD residents, Regional Center‑funded; ARM Rate Levels 2–7 based on support needs. Traditional service option.
2. 🤝 Supported Living Services (SLS)
Support follows the person into their own home or apartment. Regional Center pays for support hours, not rent. SLS is customized up to 24/7 support and an orientation to the service may be required by the Regional Center
3. 🌱 Independent Living Services (ILS)
Skill-building training/coaching for adults ready to live more independently. Regional Center pays for training coaching/support, not rent. ILS typically starts in the family home.
4. 🏢 Set-Aside Affordable Housing Units
Reserved apartments in community developments, often paired with Section 811 or similar programs. Funded in part by DDS capital grants.
5. 🏥 Intermediate Care Facilities (ICF/DD-H)
Structured clinical care for individuals with complex medical or behavioral needs; 24/7 staffing. 4-6 residents, typincally designed to be inclusive of non-ambulagtory individuals. Funded by Medi-Cal; paid for by Regional Center
6. 👨👩👧 Adult Foster Care (AFC)
Family-style home placement with individualized caregiver support. Families are trained and certified by an Adult Foster Care agency.
7. 🏠 Living at Home with Family
Supported family caregiving with Regional Center-funded respite, behavioral modification services, and daily living services. In Home Support Services (IHSS) funded by the County.
8. ✨ Cottage Home Cluster Community™ (HIL Model)
Innovative, socially inclusive neighborhood model — independence, community, and coordinated support by design. (In development by High Impact Living™)
How Do the Options Compare?
High Impact Living™ specializes in the Cottage Home Cluster Community™ model but supports families and advocates in understanding all housing pathways.
Housing-Related Roles in the Regional Center System
Understanding who does what within the Regional Center system is essential for families and advocates navigating housing options for adults with I/DD.
SLS Housing Affordability Supplement — Policy Concept
A Stand-Alone Statutory Mechanism to Restore the Practical Viability of Supported Living Services in California
Supported Living Services (SLS) are intended to enable adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live in inclusive, community-based settings they own or rent, with individualized supports funded through regional centers and housing costs paid from personal income — typically SSI/SSP. In California's current rental market, that structure no longer functions for most SSI/SSP-level adults. This proposal establishes a stand-alone SLS Housing Affordability Supplement to correct that structural gap — not as an expansion of services, but as an operating correction.
The Affordability Gap
HUD Fair Market Rent data for 2025 shows that modest one-bedroom rents in major California metro areas range from approximately 170% to more than 230% of an individual's SSI/SSP grant. Even if a person devoted 100% of SSI/SSP income to rent, they would still fall short — before accounting for utilities, food, transportation, or other basic necessities.
2025 Maximum SSI/SSP (Individual, California): $1,206.94 per month
Why Federal Vouchers Don't Solve This
Federal Housing Choice Vouchers cannot reliably close this gap. Waitlists in California's major metro areas are frequently closed, operate through lottery-based entry, and involve wait times measured in years — or decades. Voucher access cannot be assumed within any reasonable IPP service-planning timeframe. This is a "voucher desert": rental assistance exists as a policy framework but is not accessible in practice for most eligible individuals.
The Proposed Supplement — How It Works
Total Housing Cost (THC)
Contract rent plus a standardized utility allowance — the defined ceiling for what the supplement can cover.
Essential Living Allowance (ELA)
A reserved portion of income to ensure individuals retain sufficient funds for food, transportation, communication, and personal expenses.
Tenant Contribution
Total income minus the ELA — what the individual contributes toward housing.
Affordability Supplement
The remaining gap between Total Housing Cost and Tenant Contribution — capped, structured, and authorized through the IPP process.
Guardrails & Safeguards
- Limited to regulated affordable housing units (LIHTC, HUD-assisted, or comparable programs) — not high-cost or luxury rentals
- Total Housing Cost capped at HUD Fair Market Rent or local affordable housing benchmarks
- SLS providers do not collect or manage rent — clear operational boundaries maintained
- Regional centers authorize the supplement through the IPP process
- Total public cost remains within a reasonable range of other community residential options with comparable needs
- Cost comparisons may not be used to require placement in more restrictive settings when SLS is appropriate (consistent with Olmstead and HCBS standards)
Comparable Policy Precedents
- HUD Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities — rental assistance tied to regulated affordable housing for extremely low-income adults with disabilities
- State Section 811 Project Rental Assistance (e.g., Maryland) — disability service systems coordinating access to subsidized units in mainstream housing developments
- California Housing and Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP) — housing assistance paired with disability-related services
- California SILP Housing Supplement — targeted financial support for youth transitioning out of foster care using a defined affordability framework
A Two-Part Strategy
The SLS Housing Affordability Supplement is one part of a broader strategy. The other is a deliberate, sustained commitment by DDS and regional centers to engage as core partners in statewide and local affordable housing policy, planning, and production — including bond-funded initiatives and set-aside strategies. SLS affordability and affordable housing production are mutually reinforcing. The supplement restores access; expanded housing supply makes that access scalable.
Partner With High Impact Living™
Bob Erio
Systems & inclusion architecture | Affordable housing consulting | Policy design
High Impact Living™ (HIL)
System & Inclusion Architecture
Affordable Housing Systems Consultant & Inclusion Strategist
Hugh Martinez
Affordable Housing Development Expertise
Real Estate Development & Construction Management
We welcome conversations with parent groups and organizations, DDS, Regional Centers, housing authorities, developers, and advocacy organizations exploring socially inclusive housing solutions.
Robert Erio
Founder & Principal Consultant, High Impact Living™
About Robert Erio
Founder & Principal Consultant, High Impact Living™
Robert Erio is a housing strategist and systems-change leader with more than 35 years of experience advancing community-based living solutions for older adults and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). As Chief Operating Officer of Community Integration Services, Inc. (CIS), he oversees program innovation under SCAN Health Plan's Connections at Home insurance product.
Robert authored 'Designing a Cottage Home Community Cluster Without Making a Cluster,' a statewide framework for socially inclusive housing connecting aging adults, individuals with I/DD, veterans, and low-income residents within small, service-enriched neighborhoods. Earlier in his career at Lanterman Regional Center, he helped implement the Community Placement Plan alongside Dr. Richard Koch and George Braddock of Creative Housing Solutions, advancing California's early transitions from developmental centers to customized community homes.
Robert has been involved with Supported Living Services (SLS) since 1990. From 1990 to 2005, he reviewed and authorized SLS assessments and ongoing services at Lanterman Regional Center. In 2010, he became a consultant and employee of Explore Freedom Services (EFS) Supported Living Agency. He has written many custom SLS program designs, provided comprehensive SLS staff training, conducted complex SLS assessments for residents with behavioral or medical involvement, and performed Quality Assurance in residents' homes. He has helped coordinate third-party supports such as money management, specialized medical homecare, hospice services and home modifications to support Aging in Place. He has been a member of the North Los Angeles County SLS Service Provider Collaborative for the last 15 years and has also served as a direct caregiver for a man with autism and other complex needs. He continues to promote Supported Living Services as a primary, scalable living arrangement for individuals with I/DD and neurodivergent individuals, including within intentional communities and socially inclusive affordable housing projects.
He continues to guide service agencies and developers across California in creating communities shaped through thoughtful experience design and the principles of social architecture.
High Impact Living™