Enhanced SLS
Enhanced Supported Living Services (ESLS)
Our Enhanced Supported Living Services (ESLS) program is grounded in the guiding principles of Supported Living Services (SLS) as outlined in Section 4689(a) of the Lanterman Act. We are committed to meeting all standard functions of SLS while going beyond traditional models to offer highly individualized and intensive support.
A Tailored Approach for Individuals with Complex Needs
Our ESLS program is designed to support individuals who have not found success in other service settings and who may be at risk of institutional placement. We specialize in serving individuals with complex profiles, including but not limited to:
- Individuals with intense or challenging behaviors
- Individuals with forensic involvement
- Individuals with co-occurring mental health diagnoses
- Individuals struggling with substance use
- Individuals who have been unsuccessful in other living arrangements due to behavioral or forensic challenges
- Individuals identified through 4418.7 and comprehensive assessments as requiring a higher level of care
As a vendored service provider under contract with a Regional Center, our ESLS program delivers trauma-informed, person-centered services beginning with a thorough assessment process. This foundational step allows us to create a dynamic and Flexible Support Plan tailored to each individual’s unique needs and goals. These plans emphasize trauma-informed care, community integration, biomedical support, and deinstitutionalization.
Specialized Transition and Ongoing Support
Transition services are a critical component of our model. We provide specialized supports throughout the transition process, including assistance in locating and securing housing. Once individuals are established in their new environment, we offer ongoing support from a dedicated team that includes a qualified program administrator, experienced case managers, and highly trained direct support professionals.
Our team members receive comprehensive initial and continuous training to ensure they can meet the diverse and often complex needs of the individuals we support. In addition, each participant benefits from a set number of consultant hours, allowing for expert guidance and individualized service planning.
A Compassion-First Philosophy
Our approach is rooted in the belief that healing and stability come from comfort, accommodation, and empowerment—not from control or coercion. We use:
- Trauma-informed care
- Positive behavioral supports
- Person-centered thinking
- Customized communication strategies
These practices help individuals make safe choices, build internal self-regulation, manage their environments, and express themselves in meaningful ways.
Who We Serve
Many individuals in our Enhanced SLS program have experienced or are at risk of placement in:
- Developmental Centers
- Behavioral group homes
- Crisis residential settings
- Psychiatric hospitals or facilities
- Correctional institutions
- Emergency rooms or mobile crisis units
Our Program Beliefs
- All challenging behavior is an expression of an underlying need
- Long-term, treatment-resistant behaviors often have a medical or biomedical basis
- Every individual deserves compassion, dignity, and respect
- Environments should be adapted to foster individual success
- With the right supports, nearly all individuals can be safely supported in their own homes and communities
At the heart of our program is a deep respect for each person’s autonomy and potential. We are committed to helping people build lives rooted in safety, dignity, and choice.
STEP Referral Information
Our Enhanced Supportive Living Services are available through the Sacramento Central Valley and Solano/Sonoma/Napa County.
All Enhanced Supportive Living Services referrals must come through a Service Coordinator at the Regional Center; as these services must be approved by a committee to be forwarded to Empower People for evaluation. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out via email to Referrals@stepagency.com.
The individual must be receiving or in the process to receive services from one of California’s 21 regional centers. Strategies to Empower People is vendorized through the Alta California Regional Center and North Bay Regional Center.
If you are a Service Coordinator, who has received authorization for Enhanced SLS Services, the referral form will ask for specific documents to be attached. Please insure you attach all the requested documents as they are needed to continue the referral process. The online form does list what documents are needed.
