Webinar Series: Greatest Hits of ANCOR Connect ’26

Across the country, providers face the same residential services gridlock: limited funding, restrictive siting rules, and a growing need for community housing. These challenges can feel insurmountable, yet they also create opportunities for new approaches. In Massachusetts, Incompass Human Services faced these same realities and, through a strategic partnership with CIL, a nonprofit housing developer, designed a model that transformed mounting pressures into progress—and expanded residential capacity by more than 50% in under a decade.

You’ll hear how creativity, collaboration, and courage reshaped state policy, unlocked new opportunities for medically complex populations, and built a framework that other organizations can adapt. Participants will leave with practical tools to navigate cross-sector collaborations, pathways for adapting to shifting policy environments, and a proven framework to apply in their own organizations.

Presenters:

• Michael Bloom, Incompass Human Services
• Chris Canna, Corporation for Independent Living (CIL)
• Samantha VanSchoick, Corporation for Independent Living (CIL)

When immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota’s metro region converged with a fraud crisis, I/DD providers were thrust yet again into uncharted territory, and the people who needed services most were caught in the middle. Rather than a political postmortem, this session is a practical, bipartisan look at what actually happened on the ground — and what other providers across the country can learn before they face something similar. Attendees will come away with actionable strategies for rapid response planning and consistent communication during an evolving crisis. Together, we’ll focus on how building and leveraging provider coalitions can help share real-time information, coordinate resources, and advocate effectively when no single organization can go it alone. Whether your state is already showing early warning signs of converging crises or you simply want to be better prepared, this session offers a candid look at what worked, what didn’t, and what every provider should have in place before the unexpected arrives.

Presenters:

• Julie Johnson, MSS
• Sue Schettle, ARRM
• Darlene Scott, The Phoenix Residence

Individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) who also experience mental health conditions—known as dual diagnosis—face significant barriers to receiving effective support and care. Although an estimated 35% of people with I/DD also live with mental health challenges, services are often siloed across separate systems with differing priorities, funding mechanisms, and regulations. This fragmentation, combined with a shortage of providers equipped to support dual diagnosis populations, leads to inconsistent care and poor outcomes. This session will explore the concept of dual diagnosis, highlight the systemic challenges impacting individuals and families, and introduce a promising model being implemented at Albertina Kerr, in Oregon, specifically focused on youth up to the age of 25. Attendees will gain insights into how integrated, sustainable approaches can improve access and quality of mental health care for people with dual diagnoses—regardless of age.

Presenter:

• Allison Stark, Albertina Kerr