Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities deserve support that helps them live with dignity, independence, and connection.
Original Post: https://canaancares.org/canaan-cares-expanding-support-for-individuals-with-intellectual-and-developmental-disabilities-in-southern-california/
In a recent conversation, Taryn Davis Greenberg shared how Canaan Cares is helping families in San Diego County access community-based services, self-determination staffing, and individualized support.
Through programs like Community Day, participants can build real-life skills such as:
✔ Navigating the community
✔ Learning transportation safety
✔ Making small purchases
✔ Building confidence outside the home
✔ Working toward personal goals
Canaan Cares also supports families through private pay options, regional center services, and staffing for California’s Self-Determination Program.
At the heart of their work is a simple but powerful idea: people thrive when they have the right support, the right community, and the opportunity to participate fully in everyday life.
Learn more at CanaanCares.org
Canaan Health Care
731 South Highway 101,
Suite 1k1
Solana Beach, CA 92075
(858) 345-6546
Families caring for a loved one with an intellectual or developmental disability often need more than a list of services. They need guidance, dependable support, and a community-based team that understands their goals. Canaan Cares, part of the Canaan Home Care family, was created to help fill that gap.
According to Taryn Davis Greenberg of Canaan Cares, the organization serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through regional center-funded services, self-determination program staffing, and private pay options. Canaan Cares serves several areas in Southern California, including San Diego County.
Helping Participants Take Control Through Self-Determination
One of the key areas Taryn discussed is California’s Self-Determination Program. This program gives eligible regional center participants more control over their services, supports, and budget.
Instead of being limited only to traditional services, participants can create a plan that better reflects their individual needs, preferences, and goals. They may work with a financial management service and, in many cases, an independent facilitator to help develop their plan.
Canaan Cares helps by providing the practical, hands-on staffing support that participants often need. Taryn described Canaan Cares as part of the participant’s community network — the “village” that helps make their goals possible. This may include helping someone get out into the community, learn new skills, participate in meaningful activities, or work toward greater independence.
Who Can Work With Canaan Cares?
Canaan Cares works with individuals who have an intellectual or developmental disability. Families may access services through regional center funding, the Self-Determination Program, or private pay.
For those who are not yet connected with a regional center, Taryn explained that families can contact the intake team at their local regional center. The process may involve paperwork, documentation, and medical verification of the developmental disability. Once a person is approved, Canaan Cares can help begin services. Families who prefer not to use regional center funding, or who are waiting for approval, may also explore private pay options.
Canaan Cares focuses on helping individuals work toward meaningful goals. Taryn emphasized basic expectations such as respecting possessions, avoiding violence, and working toward something identified in the individual’s plan.
Understanding Regional Centers in California
Taryn also explained the important role of California’s regional centers. Regional centers were developed to help move people with developmental disabilities away from institutional settings and into community-based support.
Today, California has 21 regional centers. These nonprofit organizations help determine eligibility, coordinate services, ensure provider requirements are met, and help direct funding to approved service providers. For families, the regional center system can be an important gateway to services and support.
Community Day Services in San Diego
One of the current services Canaan Cares offers in San Diego is Community Day.
This program helps individuals get out into the community in small groups. Participants may work on community safety, making small purchases, using public transportation, learning about public safety resources, and becoming more familiar with the places and people around them.
The goal is not simply to keep someone busy. Community Day is about helping individuals participate more fully in their communities, build confidence, and develop practical skills they can use in daily life.
Services in Development
Taryn shared that Canaan Cares is continuing to grow. In addition to Community Day services in San Diego, the organization has several programs in the approval pipeline with regional centers.
These upcoming services include:
Independent Living Services
Independent Living Services, often called ILS, help individuals learn how to care for themselves and their homes. This may include cooking, cleaning, personal hygiene, household routines, and other daily living skills. The larger goal is to help individuals become more independent and, when appropriate, prepare for living on their own.
Tailored Day Services
Tailored Day services are also community-based but focus more heavily on education, employment, volunteering, and skill-building. Participants may work on attending classes, going to school, finding volunteer opportunities, preparing for jobs, and learning transportation skills.
Transportation may include using the bus system, specialized transportation, rideshare services, or other options the individual may need in daily life.
Respite Care
Respite care gives families and caregivers time to rest while knowing their loved one is safe and supported. Taryn described respite as a way to help families avoid burnout, noting that caregivers also need time to care for themselves.
Personal Assistance
Personal assistance provides support with daily needs while preserving dignity and independence. Taryn highlighted that this service can be especially meaningful for individuals who feel infantilized or who need temporary support after an injury, surgery, accident, or major life change.
Supported Living Services
Supported Living Services, or SLS, are designed for individuals who are already living independently but need continued support to maintain that independence. This may include help with keeping the home clean, grocery shopping, getting to know neighbors, and engaging in social activities.
Flexible Support for Families
One of the strengths of Canaan Cares is flexibility. Traditional services may also be reflected within a self-determination plan, and private pay options may be available for families who want support before regional center approval is complete.
This flexibility allows families to seek help in the way that best fits their situation.
A Mission Rooted in Personal Experience
Taryn shared that Canaan Cares was inspired in part by the personal experience of the organization’s CEO, whose daughter had an intellectual developmental disability. That experience helped shape the organization’s commitment to expanding care beyond traditional home care and into broader community-based support.
At its core, Canaan Cares is focused on helping individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities live with more dignity, independence, and connection.
For families in southern California, Canaan Cares offers a growing range of services designed to help individuals build skills, participate in their communities, and work toward the goals that matter most to them.
