People with disabilities deserve to live in the most integrated setting in the community possible. And, they deserve to be protected and safe while doing so. From host homes to independent living options, safety and regulations look different but still have significant challenges to protecting this vulnerable population.
Jack Johnson, Public Policy Liaison at Disability Law Colorado is on the front lines of fighting for legislation to improve regulation and safety of paid caregiving in the state of Colorado. Tune in for his informed perspective on these nuanced conversations!
Discussed in this episode
- The spectrum of community living options
- Existing regulations
- Gaps in regulations, reporting, and inspections
- Short and long-term legislative solutions in the works
- How you can help
Learn more by watching a vodcast (video) or listening to podcast (audio) episode 96.
Jack Johnson, JD: Public Policy Liaison at Disability Law Colorado
Timestamps:
-
- 01:20 – About Jack’s work
- 03:10 – What does “community living options” mean?
- 05:30 – Intro to regulating Community Living options
- 07:55 – Existing (as of 2026) structure of host home regulations
- 10:10 – Gaps in Host Home regulations
- 11:20 – Current (as of 2026) state of Host Home inspections
- 13:00 – Centralizing Host Home oversight
- 18:00 – Host Home safety plans
- 23:45 – Challenges to reporting
- 29:00 – Potential solutions
- 33:00 – How you can help – “Our strengths lie in community showing up!”
References this episode:
- 09:25 – PASA – Program Approved Service Agency
- 10:30 – HCPF – Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing
- 27:05 – MANE – Mistreatment, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation
This work is made possible through support from arc Thrift Stores, Developmental Pathways, Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council, Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, Rocky Mountain ADA Center, and The Arc of Aurora
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