Once this information is gathered, the people who care about the person get together regularly to develop a plan for getting as close as possible to the ideal living situation. Use of connections Our traditional residential services relied predominantly on system solutions to concerns and problems. By relying only on system solutions a whole wealth of potential resources is ignored. One of the components of supportive living is eliciting the assistance of all who want to and can help. Support is based on the individual's schedule and needs, not on a program's.
Individuals receive support where, when, how, and with whom it is needed.
Any support given must be flexible enough to be adjusted based on the individual's changing needs, preferences, and desires. Whenever possible, supports which are natural to the place, time, delivery, and person are sought. The designing of individual supports takes into consideration opportunities for individuals to learn to provide their own support, for it to be more natural, and to use technology which may give the person more control. Focusing on what people can do Traditional residential programs focused predominantly on what people could not do and tried to offer a treatment plan designed to teach people how to do what they could not do. Supportive living focuses on what people can do, provides support for things people cannot do, and provides opportunities for them to learn how to do the things they want to do.