San Diego County Disability Services: IHSS, SDRC, and Housing

San Diego County disability services run through two main phone numbers. For home care, adult protective services, and most programs for adults with disabilities or seniors, call Aging & Independence Services at (800) 339-4661. For developmental disabilities — autism, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and related conditions beginning before age 18 — call the San Diego Regional Center at (858) 576-2938. From those two front doors, residents can reach in-home caregivers, early intervention for infants, day programs, mental health treatment, paratransit, rental assistance, employment support, and legal help. For anything else, or if you’re not sure where to start, 2-1-1 San Diego operates a 24/7 information line, and the Access and Crisis Line at 1-888-724-7240 (or 988) handles mental health emergencies around the clock.

Where to Start

Which number you call depends on the type of disability and who the service is for.

Aging & Independence Services (AIS) is a division of the county Health & Human Services Agency. It serves adults 18 and older with disabilities as well as older adults, and its call center runs Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.¹ The same number takes reports of suspected abuse of dependent adults 24 hours a day.² AIS staff assess what you need and route you to the right program, including In-Home Supportive Services, Adult Protective Services, care coordination, adult day health centers, and the Aging and Disability Resource Connection.³

The San Diego Regional Center (SDRC) handles developmental disabilities under the Lanterman Act, a California law that creates an entitlement to services regardless of income.⁴ SDRC serves San Diego and Imperial counties and covers the entire age range, from newborns through adults.

In-Home Care Through IHSS

In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) pays a caregiver — often a family member — to help an eligible person with bathing, grooming, dressing, housecleaning, shopping, laundry, and meal preparation so they can stay at home.⁵

To qualify, you must be blind, disabled, or 65 or older; meet full-scope Medi-Cal requirements; and be unable to live safely at home without help. People on Supplemental Security Income automatically meet the financial threshold. Others may still qualify but could owe a share of the cost.⁵

Apply by phone at (800) 339-4661, by mail or fax, through the online provider portal, or in person at one of six regional IHSS offices in El Cajon, Escondido, National City, Oceanside, and two San Diego locations. A county social worker then visits the home to evaluate medical condition, living situation, and support needs. A health professional provides medical certification. The county issues a Notice of Action listing eligibility and the number of authorized monthly service hours.⁵ Reassessments happen annually, and you can request one anytime if circumstances change.⁶

The San Diego IHSS Public Authority runs the provider registry and payroll infrastructure, helping recipients find caregivers and helping caregivers with timesheets and enrollment.⁷

Developmental Disability Services Through SDRC

SDRC splits intake by age. For infants and toddlers from birth to three, the California Early Start program applies. A child qualifies with a developmental delay of 25% or more in areas like cognition, communication, or motor skills, or with an established-risk condition such as Down syndrome or spina bifida.⁸ Call the Early Start team at (858) 496-4318 or email Esint@sdrc.org. A Family Support Liaison gathers information and arranges an evaluation, and eligibility must be determined within 45 days.⁹

For anyone three or older, eligibility requires a developmental disability that began before age 18, is expected to continue indefinitely, and causes substantial limitations in at least three major life areas such as communication, learning, self-care, mobility, or independent living. Qualifying conditions include intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, and closely related conditions.⁸ Children aged three and four who don’t meet the full criteria may receive provisional eligibility with significant limitations in at least two major life activities.¹⁰

To apply, submit an Initial Contact Form (available online in multiple languages) or call an intake coordinator at (858) 576-2938. If the case moves to assessment, an Intake Service Coordinator schedules an in-person appointment. Eligibility must be determined within 120 days of the intake meeting. If the person qualifies, an Individual Program Plan (IPP) must be developed within 60 days after that. Applicants found ineligible can appeal.⁹

Once eligible, each person gets a service coordinator who becomes their ongoing point of contact. The coordinator helps develop the IPP (or an Individualized Family Service Plan for children under three) and arranges services directly or through community agencies. Plans are reviewed at least annually.¹¹ Services SDRC can arrange or fund include:

Early intervention from birth to three: assistive technology, physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, family counseling, and home visits.
For children and adults three and up: behavioral intervention, residential services, respite care, nursing, psychological services, and transportation.
For adults: supported employment, supported living, independent living, and the Paid Internship Program, which funds wages for up to 1,040 hours per calendar year for clients 18 and older seeking competitive employment.¹¹

The Self-Determination Program, which lets participants control how their service budget is spent, continues to expand. As of 2026, new statewide rules require participants to complete a two-part orientation through the State Council on Developmental Disabilities before enrolling.¹²

Nonprofit partners deliver many of these services on the ground. The Arc of San Diego, the county’s largest disability services provider, runs more than 20 locations with residential homes, day training, community inclusion, employment support, respite care, and the Our Place Wellness Center.¹³ The Exceptional Family Resource Center (EFRC) is the official Point of Entry for California Early Start in San Diego and Imperial counties and offers peer parent support, IEP and Section 504 advocacy workshops, and help navigating SSI, IHSS, and Medi-Cal waivers. Reach EFRC at (619) 594-7416; services are available in Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Tagalog, Chinese, Arabic, and Farsi.¹⁴ San Diego Community Living Services provides independent living, supported living, and tailored day services for adults 18 and older, arranged through SDRC.¹⁵

Adult Day Health Through CBAS

Community-Based Adult Services (CBAS) centers are licensed adult day health care facilities providing nursing, physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, social services, psychiatric support, meals, activities, and transportation to and from the center.¹⁶ Enrollment generally requires being a senior or disabled adult with chronic medical, cognitive, or mental health conditions that need skilled monitoring, or needing help with at least two activities of daily living. Coverage is typically through Medi-Cal managed care. The county has about ten licensed CBAS centers in El Cajon, San Marcos, San Diego, La Mesa, National City, and Chula Vista.³

Mental and Behavioral Health

If the disability includes serious mental illness, county Behavioral Health Services (BHS) runs crisis intervention, outpatient treatment, psychiatric hospitalization, residential care, and the CARE Act initiative for people with severe mental illness.¹⁷ The main entry point is the Access and Crisis Line at 1-888-724-7240, or call or text 988. Support is available in over 200 languages. County-funded specialty mental health services are targeted at people on Medi-Cal and uninsured residents with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level whose conditions require more than a primary care physician can provide. Emergency psychiatric care for adults is at (619) 692-8222; emergency screening for children and adolescents is at (619) 876-4502.¹⁸

Transportation

Beyond the accessible buses and trolleys run by MTS and NCTD, the county has several services built for riders with disabilities.

MTS Access is the complementary paratransit service for people certified as unable to use fixed-route transit. Call (888) 517-9627 to confirm your address is in the service area before applying. One-way fares are $5, and as of July 2025 certified riders can book same-day trips (subject to availability) for $10.¹⁹

In North County, NCTD operates LIFT, a curb-to-curb paratransit service available within three-quarters of a mile of BREEZE bus and SPRINTER rail routes. Fare is $5 per trip, and rides must be booked at least one day ahead at (760) 726-1111. Certified LIFT riders get a free ID card for free travel on NCTD fixed routes.²⁰

FACT (Facilitating Access to Coordinated Transportation) fills gaps left by ADA paratransit, serving seniors 60 and older and people with disabilities across all 18 cities, including non-urban areas. RideFACT runs Monday through Friday at $5 to $20 per one-way trip depending on distance; reserve one to seven days ahead at (888) 924-3228.²¹ FACT also runs RideFACTNOW, an on-demand same-day service using wheelchair-accessible vehicles.²²

Housing Assistance

The San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) runs several programs that reach residents with disabilities. The Non-Elderly Persons with Disabilities (NED) Program provides rental assistance to income-eligible households headed by someone under 62 with a disability that makes accessible housing hard to find. The Housing Instability Prevention Program (HIPP) offers $250 to $1,000 per month for up to 24 months to low-income households in a housing crisis, with explicit priority for people with disabilities. Referrals go through 2-1-1 San Diego.²³

Two important limits apply. Federal Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waitlists in San Diego are closed because of insufficient federal funding.²³ And the state’s Section 811 Project Rental Assistance program, which targets Medicaid beneficiaries with disabilities at risk of institutionalization or homelessness, is oversubscribed and not accepting new applications in its most recent funding round.²⁴

Employment Help

The California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) provides vocational rehabilitation through its San Diego office: career counseling, job-search training, on-the-job training, assistive technology, and independent living skills.²⁵ SDRC funds employment services directly for its clients, including the Paid Internship Program for adults 18 and older.¹¹ The San Diego Committee on Employment for People with Disabilities runs Jobtoberfest, an annual job fair held each October during National Disability Employment Awareness Month that typically draws over 1,500 job seekers and more than 75 employers.²⁶

Services for Children

Disability services for children start at birth. California Early Start, reached through SDRC or EFRC, evaluates infants and toddlers for developmental delays or established-risk conditions and funds intervention through an Individualized Family Service Plan reviewed every six months.¹¹

School-age children receive special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. San Diego Unified School District, for instance, provides a continuum of services from early childhood through transition to adulthood and is legally required to seek out and evaluate all children from birth to 21 who may have qualifying disabilities.²⁷ Team of Advocates for Special Kids (TASK) and Advocacy SD help parents navigate the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process.²⁸

California Children’s Services (CCS), run by the county, provides screening, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation for children with qualifying medical conditions. Reach CCS at (619) 528-4000.²⁸

Legal Help and Advocacy

Disability Rights California (DRC), the largest disability rights organization in the country, maintains a San Diego office at 530 B Street, Suite 400. Call (619) 239-7861 or toll-free (800) 776-5746; the office serves San Diego, Imperial, Orange, and Riverside counties. DRC provides free legal representation and advice on civil rights, education, employment, health care, housing, and voting. Its Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy assists regional center clients, and its California Office of Patients’ Rights advocates for individuals in state hospitals with psychiatric disabilities. Services are available in more than 15 languages, including American Sign Language and Spanish.²⁹

For SSI and SSDI claims, the Legal Aid Society of San Diego offers free help to people with mental or behavioral health conditions and to those receiving General Relief. LASSD charges no fees and takes no portion of retroactive benefits. Reach them at 1-877-534-2524, or connect with SSI advocates through several county clubhouse locations.³⁰

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