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This year, the Individual Advocacy Group commemorates three decades of breaking down barriers, creating opportunities and guiding people who need initial support to lead meaningful, independent lives. There hasn’t been a moment that the organization stopped fulfilling its mission, believing that every individual deserves dignity, respect and a place in the community regardless of their challenges.
IAG, a CARF-accredited nonprofit, employs a holistic approach to supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities, behavioral health diagnoses, severe trauma histories and complex needs. Since its founding by Drs. Charlene A. Bennett and David Brooks, IAG has offered various customized services to help ensure each person receives the care, advocacy and opportunity they need to achieve their goals.
Interestingly, IAG’s story began with a phone call. Dr. Bennett was running a consulting firm with Dr. Brooks when the former received a call asking if they could offer wraparound services to children in the child welfare system — kids who had endured abuse, neglect and frequent displacement. They agreed and started the work, but the demand for these services grew to the point that it surpassed what a consulting firm could handle. The two then decided to establish a nonprofit, and in 1995, Individual Advocacy was officially born.
“That’s how we started — working with children who had been abused within the system,” Dr. Bennett shares. “A tutor, mentor, therapist or art consultant — we offered whatever the child needed to thrive in their community.”
But there were challenges as the children grew older, she adds. Many had histories of extreme trauma and behavioral challenges that made it difficult for them to transition into the adult support system. Traditional services were unfortunately not fully equipped to handle such matters. The young adults were then at risk of experiencing homelessness, being institutionalized and worse, being incarcerated. Committed to its mission, IAG secured licensing to provide them with permanent homes and 24-hour support.
The nonprofit also supported individuals with brain injuries who had been forced into nursing homes with little to no alternative options. IAG worked with the state to establish a specialized waiver program, all for the sake of ensuring these people could receive case management and personal care services in their own homes.
“Thirty years ago, this approach would be considered radical,” Dr. Bennett remarks. “We helped people rent their own homes while receiving 24-hour support. That was something unheard of back then, but that’s exactly what we did.” The state has shifted to a managed care model for people with brain injuries since then. However, at the time, IAG could have been considered a trailblazer as it kept people in the community, supported them and prevented them from being displaced.
“That has always been our guiding principle,” says Dr. Bennett. “We figure out what people need to live productively in their communities. We always ask ourselves how we can ensure that they have the right support so they can be active participants instead of being told they don’t belong or they need to go elsewhere.”
Nothing came easy for IAG, however. IAG operated under a fee-for-service model, getting paid only after providing care. This meant payments were usually delayed for months, which further meant they were always on the edge of whether they could meet payroll. “I had to put my own house up as collateral to pay our people at one point while Dr. Brooks personally financed our vehicles,” Dr. Bennett recounts. “Our employees believed in IAG’s mission so much that sometimes they even waived their salaries just so we could keep our services running.”
Financial struggles were one, but institutional resistance was another. Many in the industry dismissed IAG’s approach, arguing that individuals with high needs couldn’t thrive outside traditional group homes or institutions. The nonprofit persevered despite facing skepticism and even hostility from those who saw its success as a challenge to the status quo.
Still, reaching the 30-year milestone meant IAG pressed on. They thought outside of the box to provide their individuals customized day experiences. For example, they created art and music studios and brought in creatives across many different industries that could share their talents. This was opposed to the typical approach, which were day programs held in large buildings.
Looking back, the founders say that IAG is still operating today out of sheer determination. They share: “We fought every day to make things work. Giving up was never an option because the people we supported had no one else fighting for them.”
Among its many achievements, IAG is most proud of supporting three men with disabilities in winning a legal case against discriminatory zoning laws. Collectively, they fought back when a city attempted to shut down their home by enforcing restrictive spacing ordinances. Dr. Bennett goes on to share, “What really makes all of the work worthwhile is seeing people’s lives transform with the right support. There are countless stories I can tell of individuals who have found stability, purpose, and joy through our support.”
Now, IAG is recognized for its customized person-centric approach, so much so that families seek out their support. “We started out with a model that worked really well with some of the most challenging individuals, but it just so turns out that this model works with anyone with challenges,” states Dr. Brooks.
IAG continues to advocate for policies and programs that focus on dignity, inclusion and individualized support. The nonprofit is currently working with other states to develop short-term stabilization homes, a model that helps people in crisis transition back into the community. They are also working internationally to provide training in Nigeria to empower people with disabilities.
Now that community-based support is their standard, the Individual Advocacy Group aims to continue what it has always done — filling in the gaps that still exist and creating frameworks of support that center on independence and real impact.
— Provided by Ascend Agency
The news and editorial staffs of the Marin Independent Journal had no role in this post’s preparation.