Relocating people with intellectual disability to new accommodation and support settings: Contrasts between personalized arrangements and group home placements.

Internationally the relocation of people with intellectual disability from institutions has brought significant gains to their quality of life. This study contrasted three groups of persons in Ireland who moved either to personalized arrangements (n = 29) or to community group homes (n = 31) with those who remained in congregated settings awaiting relocation (n = 29). Persons moving to rented accommodation with personalized support tended to be younger and had fewer support needs than those in group homes. They had greater control and choice in their lives, more community engagement and increased personal relationships compared to residents in group homes but those remaining in congregated settings fared worse of all. However, average staff costs were significantly higher in the latter settings. The implications for the future provision of group living arrangements are discussed along with the need for further longitudinal research to assess the sustained impact of personalized arrangements and their funding.