This text is directed toward service providers, advocacy groups, administrators, and other interested parties who are given the task of setting up independent living facilities for the developmentally disabled. Emphasis is placed on the group home concept of alternative living arrangements. Chapter 1 considers models for alternative residential facilities. Staff patterns and types of independent living are described. Chapter 2 discusses federal programs available for alternative community living models, including Medicaid, intermediate care facilities (ICF), supplemental security income, and Title XX. Chapter 3 addresses planning and locating community-based living facilities. Topics are assessment of the local housing market, funding sources, zoning regulations, and strategies for overcoming restrictive zoning. In chapter 4 the focus is on accessibility considerations and safety. Chapter 5 describes the legal rights of all citizens, including the handicapped, and provides information on standards for quality programming from the Accreditation Council for Mentally Retarded and Other Developmentally Disabled Persons, and ICF for the Mentally Retarded rules and regulations. Case management is also discussed. An outline for a staff training program is provided in the final chapter. Appendixes include an annotated bibliography, sample fire-safety code regulations, and state agency addresses for sources of further information on independent living. (YLB)