State Summaries of Lifespan Respite Grant Activities and Outcomes Final Reports FY 2020 Grantees

State Summaries of Lifespan Respite Grant Activities and Outcomes Final Reports FY 2020 Grantees

This report contains summaries of the final reports from FY 2020 State Lifespan Respite grantees in Alabama, Idaho, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Wisconsin. The projects’ outcomes, accomplishments, and successful partnerships are highlighted. Especially noteworthy are the flexibilities grantees have maintained in respite voucher programs, mini-grants, and volunteer efforts that were introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the creative respite, mental health supports, and education alternatives that are still used to ensure that caregivers are continuously supported. The lessons learned provide an opportunity to discover unique approaches and to begin or continue a dialogue around topics important to you with other leaders across the nation, and with key partners in your own state. The information is also intended to inform policymakers and funders about innovative solutions that are being developed at state and local levels to advance access to respite and caregiver supports at a time when the need is escalating rapidly. From these vital and timely summaries, ARCH hopes to capture best practices in the design and implementation of Lifespan Respite systems and services to guide continued policy and program improvements.

The summaries are based on information gleaned from Lifespan Respite grantee final reports that were previously submitted to ACL to meet federal grant requirements.  Summaries were reviewed by the grantees for accuracy.

Summaries from some FY 2020 state grantees were not included in this report because they were granted no-cost extensions and their final reports will be summarized when their grants have concluded.