If you receive In-Home Supportive Services, provide care for someone who does, or live with a disability anywhere in California, there is a statewide network built to help you live life on your own terms — and many people have never heard of it. It is called the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers, or CFILC, and it connects 28 Independent Living Centers whose services touch nearly every part of daily life, from hiring a personal assistant to keeping the power on during an outage.
A Network Built by the Disability Community
CFILC began in 1976 as a peer support group for the executive directors of California’s first Independent Living Centers — community organizations born out of the independent living movement, which holds that people with disabilities are the best experts on their own lives. In those early years, the directors were the ones traveling to Sacramento to educate lawmakers about the issues affecting people with disabilities.
Today, CFILC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose members are the Independent Living Centers of California. Its board of directors is made up of the executive directors of those member centers, and its mission is to increase access and equal opportunity for people with disabilities by building the capacity of Independent Living Centers.
That structure matters. CFILC is not a government agency, and it is not a charity run on behalf of people with disabilities. It is an organization of the disability community, governed by the very centers that serve it.
People with disabilities are the best experts on their own lives.
— The core belief of the independent living movementWhat Independent Living Centers Actually Do
CFILC itself is a statewide hub for training, advocacy, and program support. The place you will actually call or walk into is your local Independent Living Center, or ILC. ILCs are designed and operated by a majority of people with disabilities, and they serve people with any type of disability.
According to the California Department of Rehabilitation, which oversees the network, California’s 28 ILCs provide eight core services: information and referral, when staff listen to your situation and connect you with the right help; advocacy, both for individuals and for larger system changes like better bus routes and curb cuts; independent living skills training, such as budgeting or learning public transit; peer counseling from mentors who live with disabilities themselves; housing assistance, including help with affordable housing lists and Section 8 applications; personal assistance services; assistive technology training and support; and transition and diversion services, which help people move out of nursing homes — or avoid entering one at all — by putting the right supports in place at home.
The 8 core services at every center
Statewide Programs You Can Use
Beyond supporting its member centers, CFILC runs several statewide programs directly. Ability Tools, California’s federally funded Assistive Technology Act program, operates device lending libraries around the state where you can borrow equipment before committing to a purchase, along with reuse centers that place donated devices with people who need them. Disability Disaster Access & Resources helps people with disabilities and older adults prepare for wildfires, earthquakes, and power shutoffs, including backup electricity support for those who rely on powered medical equipment. The Digital Access Project connects people with limited incomes to discounted internet service and digital literacy training. And YO! Disabled & Proud organizes young people with disabilities around disability history, pride, and advocacy.
Why This Matters for the IHSS Community
For IHSS recipients and providers, one core service deserves special attention: personal assistance services. ILCs can teach consumers how to hire, train, manage, and — when necessary — let go of personal assistants. Those skills sit at the heart of self-directed care, which is exactly what IHSS asks of its recipients. Many centers also help people understand public benefits, accompany consumers to important appointments, and advocate when services are reduced or denied. Offerings vary from center to center, and core services are generally provided at no cost — but call yours and ask exactly what it offers.
How to Find the Center Nearest You
There are 28 centers across the state, and finding yours takes only a few minutes:
- Browse CFILC’s member directory at cfilc.org/member-ilcs, or search by city or ZIP code at cfilc.org/ilcs-search.
- Use the California Department of Rehabilitation’s online locator, linked from its Independent Living page, which maps all 28 centers and finds the one nearest your address. A downloadable statewide directory is available on the same page.
- Prefer to talk with a person? Call DOR’s Independent Living unit at (916) 558-5775 (TTY: (916) 558-5778) or email ILInfo@dor.ca.gov.
Whichever route you choose, the call is worth making. The independent living network was built on a simple idea: people with disabilities directing their own lives. It exists for exactly the moments when you need one more tool, one more skill, or one more ally to make that real.
Find the Center Nearest You
28 centers across California — one of them serves your community.
Rather talk with a person? Call DOR’s Independent Living unit:
Voice (916) 558-5775 • TTY (916) 558-5778 • ILInfo@dor.ca.gov
