BUTLER TWP — In many cases mentally disabled people who are unable to live on their own end up staying with their parents or legal guardians for most of their lives.

But as their parents get older and their ability to provide care diminishes — or as the person's needs change — they often need to be admitted into special housing or different programs.

State and federal aid for such programs has been hard to come by in recent years, but officials are hopeful that next year's state budget will provide some relief.

Both the budget proposed by Gov. Tom Wolf and the bill passed through the House and Senate this week include an increase of $26.2 million for aid to individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism.

This new money would reduce a state services waiting list by 1,000 individuals, according to a news release from the governor.

As of this week, Butler County had 146 people on its waiting list for state waivers for people with intellectual disabilities. The waiting list includes people who need housing, but also others who do not need housing or who do not have immediate needs, said Joyce Ainsworth, director of Butler County human services.

The list is prioritized by need and there are 30 people in Butler County who are currently classified as “emergency.” While these people wait for approval for state or federal funds, the county steps in using block grant money to provide temporary assistance.

“It is getting more and more difficult for us to hold things together until we can get folks help,” Ainsworth said.

Getting the money from the state to help those 30 people who are in emergency status would be crucial, Ainsworth said.

“It would make my staff be able to sleep much better at night. They are trying to work miracles to keep families and their loved ones taken care of,” she said.

This influx of state government money will help people like the Hoehn family of Summit Township. Julie Hoehn, 56, has autism and has limited ability to communicate with others and take care of herself.

She lived with her parents, Gerald and Nancy, but several years ago the couple realized they were getting older and taking care of another adult was becoming increasingly difficult.

“We got to a place where we couldn't take care of her as easily. Bathing was an issue,” Gerald said.

After having Julie on the waiting list for a while, two years ago she was accepted into Lifesteps' Community Homes Program. She now lives in a staffed house in Butler Township with two other women.

She never reached the point of having an “emergent need,” but seeing headlines about cuts in government aid made them anxious, Nancy said.

“We were very fortunate it was getting to a place where we were saying 'what will we do?' You never want to have to wait until it's an emergency,” she said.

Julie also participates in Lifesteps' BEST (Basic Education and Socialization Training) program, which teaches skills to help its participants live more independently. She is at the New Castle Road center five days a week.

At Lifesteps most of the homes have three residents who live together and are encouraged to work toward independence by always having goals.

“Our job is to meet people where they are and work with them from that point,” said Karen Sue Owens, Lifesteps' president and CEO.

The homes also have staffing around the clock.

Lifesteps, which is one of several nonprofit agencies in the region to offer housing to people with disabilities, has 51 community homes that house 130 adults with different disabilities. Their first home opened in 1993 in Beaver County.

An adult with autism coming from a home with aging parents is a common example, but some people do not have the natural supports of a family, Owens said.

Some of the people in the Community Homes program did not have a family or moved there after living in an institution.

A 2016 study lead by the University of Southern California found that between 1970 and 2010 life expectancy steadily increased for men and women in the United States. However, the average number of years that they spent either physically or mentally disabled also increased, by 4.7 years in men and 3.6 years in women.

In Lifesteps' program, resident range in age from 18 to 92, Owens said.

Regardless of the waiting list size or status of state aid, Ainsworth said anyone with mental disabilities should visit the Center for Community Resources in downtown Butler to have an assessment done on their needs and get either connected with applicable programs or placed on the waiting list.

The list includes people who have an immediate need, but also people who will have a need within the next two years and people who will have a need at some point more than two years in the future, Ainsworth said.