Do I Qualify?
Who qualifies for your program?
As defined by the state of Colorado, a developmental disability is a disability that: “…occurs before the person reaches 22 years of age, substantially impacts the person’s daily life, is caused by mental [impairment] or related conditions (for example: Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, Autism, Down Syndrome, or other neurological conditions) and impairs the person’s general intellectual functioning, or adaptive behavior similar to that of a person with mental [impairment]. People with developmental disabilities have an IQ of 70 or below and they experience significantly limited daily living skills in two or more areas.”
See the full definition and determination rule here.
Therefore, persons who might qualify for our program are:
– Adults with a Developmental Disability such as Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, and others.
– Persons with an IQ of 70 or lower**
– Persons who do not earn more than $25,000 per year
Who does not qualify for your program?
- Families
- Minors
- Single parents with children
- Persons who do not have a Developmental Disability
- Persons with Mental Illness
- Persons with Behavioral Disorders
- Persons whose diagnosis is only Learning Disabled
- Persons with a criminal record
- Persons who are known to hoard
- Persons who earn more than $25,000 per year
- Persons using/smoking marijuana, even medicinal.
- Persons who use drugs
- Persons who are homeless
**We at PAL recognize that a person with Autism and CP can have an IQ higher than 70. Having an IQ higher than 70 will not automatically disqualify you from our program.
Are there restrictions in the PAL program?
Due to the nature of our program, we do have limitations and restrictions in our program, including but not limited to, the following:
- No Smoking – No Tobacco Products, No electronic cigarettes, No cigars, etc.
- No Marijuana/Cannabis/Pot – This is not allowed in our program in any form, including medicinal use!
- No Pets – No pets are allowed in the program. You will need to visit them at your parent’s house.
- No Weapons – We do not allow weapons of any type.
- No drugs.
- No subletting – You cannot rent your unit to a friend. All tenants must be approved by PAL and qualify for our program. If you have a friend with a DD whom you would like as a roommate, please have them contact us.
- No girlfriends/boyfriends sleeping over on a regular basis. You need to respect your roommate’s privacy!
- No violent acts, to include verbal and physical. No threatening of neighbors, friends, girl/boyfriends, roommates, their families, or care workers, and no threatening of PAL staff. This will result in the immediate eviction from your unit.
- No Taunting or Bullying. You must respect your roommate.
- No Hoarding.
- No lewd and inappropriate materials displayed in common areas.
- No removing batteries from the smoke detectors, and no removing smoke detectors.
Are pets allowed in your program?
Unfortunately, no. Pets are not allowed in the PAL program. This includes Emotional Support Animals. While we do understand that you may be attached to your pet at home and we understand the therapeutic qualities that pets have, we cannot allow pets in our program. It is difficult enough for many of our clients to take care of themselves, much less to learn to responsibly care for an animal on their own.
Having a pet in the unit can make it difficult for us to match up roommates (i.e., fears of animals, allergies to animals). We cannot make concessions for one person or else we would have to make concessions for all our tenants. It would not be fair for us to allow you to have a pet and not allow someone else.
Please do not bring your pet to the apartment showing in hopes that we will change our mind. No animals will be allowed into the unit and will have to wait in your vehicle. Pushing your pet onto us or the current tenant is not only rude, but it may also disqualify you from the program as it shows that we will not be able to trust you to leave your pet with your parents or support people.
How about service animals?
A word about Trained Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals: Under the federal Fair Housing Act, housing facilities must allow service dogs and emotional support animals, if necessary for a person with a disability to have an equal opportunity to use and enjoy the home.
To fall under this provision, you must have a disability and you must have a disability-related need for the animal. In other words, the animal must work, perform tasks or services, or alleviate the emotional effects of your disability in order to qualify. (For more information, see the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s guidance on service animals.)
Landlords may not charge any additional pet fees or require additional deposits for these animals. However, you may, and will, be charged for any damages caused by your Service Animal. When applying to have a Service Dog, please provide the Dog’s Training Certificate. When applying to have an Emotional Support Animal, please provide an official Emotional Support Animal (ESA) letter from a physician, psychiatrist, or another licensed mental health professional.
The PAL Board of Directors will review each case to determine whether the animal qualifies to be in our program. However, there are state laws that make it a crime to knowingly misrepresent a pet as an emotional support animal or a service animal. Fines for this can reach as high as $500.
Contact Us
303-422-5345
PO BOX 98, Golden, CO 80402-0098
