What Is Supported Living Services (SLS)? California's Path to Independent Living
Your service coordinator mentioned "SLS" on the last call. Maybe they said your loved one qualifies. Maybe they handed you a brochure. Either way, you are left with the same question most families ask: what does Supported Living Services actually look like on a Tuesday morning?
This guide breaks down everything California families need to know about SLS -- what it funds, who qualifies, how it differs from other programs, and how to get started.
What Is Supported Living Services?
Supported Living Services (SLS) is a California program funded through the Regional Center system. It provides individualized support to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) so they can live in their own home or a shared home in the community -- not a group home, not a facility, not an institution.
The key word is "individualized." SLS is not a placement. Nobody assigns your loved one to a bed in a building. Instead, the person chooses where they want to live, and the support comes to them. The goal is straightforward: help the individual build the skills and confidence to live as independently as possible, in a real home, in a real neighborhood.
SLS is funded entirely through the Regional Center. Families do not pay out of pocket for the support services themselves.
What Does SLS Actually Cover?
SLS is broader than most families expect. It is not limited to a few hours of help around the house. Depending on the individual's needs and goals, SLS can include:
Daily living skills -- cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, budgeting, personal hygiene
Meal preparation and nutrition -- planning meals, learning to cook, building healthy eating habits
Medication management -- reminders, organizing prescriptions, coordinating with doctors
Transportation -- getting to work, appointments, errands, social activities
Community access and integration -- joining clubs, volunteering, attending events, building a social life
Skill building -- learning to use public transit, managing a bank account, navigating technology
Health and safety support -- emergency procedures, wellness routines, overnight presence when needed
Employment support -- preparing for work, maintaining a job, navigating workplace relationships
Social and relationship skills -- building friendships, handling conflict, participating in community life
The number of support hours authorized depends on the individual's assessed needs. Some people receive a few hours a week. Others receive 24/7 live-in support. The plan is built around the person, not around a program schedule.
How SLS Differs from Group Homes
This is the question most families are really asking when they hear about SLS. The short answer: SLS and group homes represent two fundamentally different philosophies of support.
In a group home, your loved one moves into a licensed facility with four to six other residents and rotating staff. The schedule, meals, and routines are largely determined by the facility. Staff members change shifts, and your loved one may interact with dozens of different caregivers over the course of a month.
With SLS, the individual lives in their own home or apartment. They choose where. They choose who they live with (if anyone). Support is tailored to their goals, not dictated by a facility's operating procedures. The daily routine belongs to them.
Neither option is universally right or wrong. Group homes serve an important purpose for individuals who need constant eyes-on supervision or have complex medical needs that require specialized staff at all times. But for adults who want more independence, more choice, and a life that looks like everyone else's, SLS opens a door that group homes cannot.
For a detailed side-by-side breakdown, read our full comparison: SLS vs Group Homes: What Families Should Know.
How SLS Differs from IHSS
Another common source of confusion. In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) and SLS both fund support for people with disabilities, but they are different programs serving different purposes.
IHSS is a Medi-Cal program administered by county social services. It provides a set number of hours per month for specific tasks -- bathing, housecleaning, meal preparation, transportation to medical appointments. It is available to anyone who qualifies for Medi-Cal, regardless of disability type. The family typically finds and manages the caregiver themselves. Many families hire a parent or sibling as the IHSS provider.
SLS is a Regional Center program designed specifically for individuals with developmental disabilities. It is more comprehensive, more flexible, and focused on long-term skill building and independence -- not just task completion. SLS is coordinated through your service coordinator, and the Regional Center contracts with an SLS vendor (like Homies) to deliver services.
Here is the good news: you can use both. Many individuals receive IHSS hours for specific personal care tasks while also receiving SLS for broader independent living support. The two programs complement each other.
For a deeper dive into the differences and how to combine them, see SLS vs IHSS: Understanding California's Two Main Disability Support Programs.
Who Qualifies for SLS?
SLS is available to adults who are clients of a California Regional Center. To be a Regional Center client, an individual must have a developmental disability that originated before age 18. California recognizes five qualifying conditions:
Intellectual disability
Cerebral palsy
Epilepsy
Autism
Conditions requiring similar services to those needed by individuals with the above disabilities
If your loved one is already a Regional Center client, they are eligible to request SLS. If they are not yet connected to a Regional Center, that is the first step -- contact the Regional Center serving your area and request an intake assessment.
California has 21 Regional Centers statewide. Homies currently serves families across Southern California, including through the San Diego Regional Center, Orange County Regional Center, and Inland Regional Center, among others.
How to Request SLS: Step by Step
Getting SLS authorized is not as complicated as it sounds, but it does require you to advocate clearly and know the process.
1. Talk to Your Service Coordinator
Every Regional Center client is assigned a service coordinator. This is the person who manages your loved one's case and helps connect them to services. Tell your coordinator that you want to explore Supported Living Services. Be specific about what your loved one needs and what their goals are.
2. Request SLS in the Individual Program Plan (IPP)
The IPP is the formal document that outlines your loved one's goals and the services authorized to achieve them. SLS must be included in the IPP. During your next IPP meeting (or request a special meeting), make sure SLS is documented as a needed service.
If your coordinator pushes back, know your rights. California law (the Lanterman Act) guarantees Regional Center clients access to services and supports needed to live as independently as possible. SLS is one of those services.
3. Regional Center Authorizes Hours
Once SLS is in the IPP, the Regional Center determines how many support hours your loved one needs. This is based on an assessment of their current abilities, their goals, and their living situation.
4. Choose an SLS Provider
The Regional Center contracts with approved SLS vendors to deliver services. You have the right to choose which vendor works with your loved one. This is where it pays to be selective -- the quality of the provider determines the quality of the support.
Not all SLS providers offer the same thing. Some provide hourly drop-in support. Others, like Homies, offer life-sharing: a model where your loved one is matched with a compatible supportive roommate who lives with them full-time.
Life-Sharing: A Model Within SLS
Life-sharing is one of the most effective ways to deliver SLS. Instead of a rotating cast of support workers coming and going throughout the week, life-sharing pairs the individual with a carefully matched roommate who lives in the same home and provides support as part of daily life.
The roommate is not a clinical caregiver clocking in and out. They are a real housemate. They share meals, split chores, go to the grocery store together, watch movies on Friday nights. The support happens naturally, woven into the fabric of everyday life -- which is exactly why it works.
Life-sharing through Homies includes a thorough matching process built around personality, interests, lifestyle, and goals. The roommate receives training and ongoing support from the Homies team. The individual gets 1:1 consistency with someone who genuinely knows them -- not a stranger on a Tuesday afternoon shift.
For families exploring this option, our What Is Life-Sharing guide covers the model in depth, and our how it works page walks through the Homies process from first call to move-in day.
Why This Matters for Your Family
Most families stumble into the SLS conversation after years of navigating a system that rarely explains itself clearly. You hear acronyms in meetings. You get handed pamphlets. You are told your loved one "qualifies" for things without anyone showing you what those things look like in real life.
SLS is not a small thing. It is the funding mechanism that makes independent living possible for tens of thousands of Californians with developmental disabilities. Understanding how it works -- and how to advocate for it -- puts your family in a position to choose the life your loved one actually wants.
Next Steps
If your loved one is a Regional Center client in Southern California and you want to explore SLS and life-sharing, Homies can walk you through the process. We work directly with families and service coordinators to make the transition smooth.
Schedule a call to learn whether life-sharing through Homies is the right fit for your family. No pressure, no commitments -- just an honest conversation about what is possible.