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​STS is a Solution to the I/DD Waiting List Crisis in Connecticut 

There are over 2,000 individuals with intellectual and developmental (I/DD) disabilities in Connecticut waiting for residential placement.  That means that one individual for nearly every thousand Connecticut residents is living with family members or others and needs care elsewhere. 

Some of these I/DD individuals have extreme disabilities. Some are aging. Some have been on the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services (DDS) waiting list for group home placement for years. Many are living with elderly relatives who are desperate to find a care solution for their loved ones before their own time runs out. 

STS Provides Quality Long-Term Care Now
The Southbury Training School (STS) currently provides excellent care for its residents.  It is a facility appropriate for aging I/DD individuals and for those with extreme physical disabilities. With its sophisticated equipment, experienced staff and trained medical teams, STS is uniquely qualified to meet the needs of I/DD individuals unable to live within a community group home setting.

The Challenge
  • STS is perceived as an institution, not a state-of-the-art long-term I/DD care facility.
  • New admissions have been closed to I/DD individuals since 1986. 
  • The STS aging population is dwindling causing a rise in cost for care per person.
  • The 2010 Messier v. STS settlement requires only that STS guardians be informed about group homes.
    It has been used to encourage STS guardians to remove their loved ones from STS for placement into group homes.  It is explicitly NOT the intention of the Messier settlement is to phase out STS as a long-term care option for I/DD individuals.
  • If residents leave STS, they may not return. ​
But, first,
perceptions about STS
must change.
The Crisis
  • Nearly 2,500 to 3,500 I/DD individuals in Connecticut are waiting for placement, some for as long as 25 years. 
  • STS residents have first priority for relocation over others on the waiting list. 
  • There are only 76 state-operated group homes in Connecticut.
  • Private group homes often hire staff without complete background checks. 
  • Pay is low and turnover is high causing disruption in relationships between staff and I/DD residents.
  • Many private group homes do not provide adequate levels of care. ​
The Solution
  • STS already provides group-home style cottages within a serene country campus.
  • STS provides the best in modern dental and medical care and services for residents. 
  • Doctors and dentists with experience in treating I/DD individuals are hard to find. STS has the potential to provide many more I/DD individuals living in Connecticut with high-quality dental care and other medical services.
  • STS has highly trained, dedicated staff capable of providing appropriate levels of care and services for I/DD individuals. 
  • The staff at STS is uniquely qualified to provide appropriate levels of care for aging I/DD individuals, unlike staff in nursing homes.
  • By opening admissions, STS will once again become a viable cost-effective choice for guardians of I/DD individuals in Connecticut.​​
STS is a premier state-of-the-art long-term care facility that has the potential of significantly reducing the DDS waiting list crisis for I/DD individuals in Connecticut. 

STS should be made available as a long-term care choice for these, our most vulnerable, citizens. 

Cost studies published in the journal Mental Retardation show that it costs more to provide care in small living arrangements that is comparable to care in congregate facilities.
Cost Comparisons of Community and Institutional Residential Settings: Historical Review of Selected Research 
(original 2003 article)
Cost Comparisons of Community and Institutional Residential Settings: Historical Review of Selected Research
 (2009 update)
Follow this link to a cost comparison of various housing solutions for an individual with I/DD.​

Take action. Find out how to advocate for STS. 
Contact us to learn more about the quality-of-life care solutions at STS.    ​​