South Central LA Regional Center Housing: Life-Sharing Options in South Los Angeles
South Central Los Angeles has deep roots. Families in Compton, Lynwood, Watts, Leimert Park, and the surrounding neighborhoods have built tight-knit communities over generations. But when a family includes an adult with an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD), finding the right housing situation in this part of LA can feel like running into the same walls over and over. Group home waitlists. Programs that don't fit. Options that require moving far from the people and places your loved one knows.
The South Central Los Angeles Regional Center (SCLARC) serves this entire area, and they fund housing supports that many families don't know exist. One of those options is life-sharing through Supported Living Services (SLS) -- a path that lets your family member stay in the community they grew up in while getting the daily support they need.
What SCLARC Covers
SCLARC coordinates services for adults with developmental disabilities across a wide swath of South Los Angeles. Their service area includes South Los Angeles, Compton, Lynwood, Watts, Florence, Willowbrook, Athens, Vermont Square, Hyde Park, Leimert Park, Baldwin Hills, Crenshaw, and surrounding communities.
If your loved one is a SCLARC client, they already have access to a service coordinator who can help them explore housing options. If they are not yet connected with SCLARC but live in the area and have a qualifying disability, the first step is contacting SCLARC directly to begin the intake process.
Three Housing Pathways Through Regional Center
When it comes to housing for adults with IDD in South Central LA, families typically encounter three main options funded through the Regional Center system.
Group homes are licensed residential facilities where multiple adults live together with professional staff. They provide 24/7 supervision and structured routines. For individuals who need constant eyes-on support due to medical complexity or significant behavioral needs, a well-run group home can be the right choice.
Supported Living Services (SLS) flip the model. Instead of moving into a facility, your loved one lives in their own apartment or shared home in the community. An SLS provider delivers personalized support -- help with cooking, budgeting, transportation, appointments, and building the daily living skills that lead to real independence. The support is funded through Regional Center, and most families pay nothing out of pocket. Our guide to SLS in California explains the full picture.
Life-sharing is a specific model within SLS. Your family member is matched with a compatible supportive roommate who lives with them in a regular home. The roommate is not a shift worker clocking in and out. They share the apartment, share meals, and build a genuine friendship. The roommate provides daily support and overnight presence while your loved one maintains choice over their own schedule, food, activities, and life. Life-sharing combines the stability of having someone consistently present with the independence of living in your own home in your own neighborhood.
How Homies Works With SCLARC
Homies is California's first life-sharing program, and we work directly with SCLARC to serve families in South Central Los Angeles. Here is what that looks like in practice:
Matching comes first. We do not assign roommates randomly. We learn about your family member's personality, interests, routines, communication style, and support needs. Then we find a supportive roommate who is genuinely compatible. The two meet, spend time together, and both agree before anything moves forward. You can see how our matching process works in detail.
Your loved one stays local. We find housing in the communities our clients already know. If your family member grew up in Compton and their whole support network is there, we are looking for apartments in Compton -- not moving them to the other side of the county.
SLS funding covers the services. The supportive roommate's role is funded through your loved one's Regional Center SLS authorization. Rent is structured on a case-by-case basis depending on what Regional Center approves. Most families pay nothing out of pocket for the support services.
Ongoing oversight is built in. Every Homies match has a dedicated program manager who conducts regular check-ins with both the client and the roommate. There is a 24/7 support line for anything that comes up between scheduled visits.
How to Request SLS Through Your IPP
If you think life-sharing might be a good fit, the process starts with your SCLARC service coordinator and your Individual Program Plan (IPP). The IPP is the document that outlines your loved one's goals and the services Regional Center will fund to support those goals.
Here is how to move forward:
Contact your SCLARC service coordinator and let them know your family member is interested in living more independently. If you do not have a service coordinator assigned, call SCLARC to request one.
Request an IPP meeting to discuss housing goals. Be specific about what your loved one wants -- living in their own apartment, having a roommate, staying in a particular neighborhood. The more concrete the goals, the easier it is for the service coordinator to authorize the right services.
Ask about Supported Living Services (SLS) by name. SLS is the funding mechanism that pays for life-sharing. Your service coordinator can explain the authorization process and what documentation is needed.
Request Homies as your SLS provider. Once SLS is authorized, you have the right to choose which vendored provider delivers the service. Let your service coordinator know you want to work with Homies, and we will coordinate directly with SCLARC from there.
Our family guide to Regional Center services walks through the IPP process step by step, including what to say and what to ask for.
Why This Matters for South Central LA Families
Families in South Central Los Angeles face a specific set of challenges. Housing costs have risen sharply across the area. Many families have been providing care at home for decades, and aging parents are starting to think seriously about what comes next. The question of long-term planning weighs heavily, and the alternatives that families encounter -- long group home waitlists, facilities far from home, programs that feel institutional -- can be discouraging.
Life-sharing offers something different. Your loved one gets to live in a real home in a real neighborhood with someone who knows them and cares about them. They build skills, gain independence, and stay connected to the community they belong to. And you get the peace of mind that comes from knowing there is a plan in place and a person in their corner.
Get Started
If your family member is a SCLARC client and you want to explore life-sharing, reach out to our team. You can visit our families page to learn more about what the process looks like from a parent's perspective, or go directly to our Regional Center clients page to start the conversation.
You can also visit the SCLARC landing page for information specific to Homies' work in the South Central Los Angeles area. No commitment required -- we are here to answer your questions and help you figure out whether this is the right fit.