Our Mission
Mission Statement: Our goal is to provide a unique and meaningful service that always puts the individual’s needs first. We strive to implement creative solutions to help participants take the steps towards independence and gain the tools needed to be successful in varying environments and situations. Every challenge for the individual becomes our challenge to find a way to enable them to move forward independently. We service the whole individual rather than just one aspect of achieving independence. We endeavor to instill confidence and pride in everyone’s growing abilities and accomplishments. We utilize our staff’s qualifications and strengths to provide an integrative approach to enable individuals to achieve independence in every area of their life. We will utilize all resources and technology available to benefit our individuals and teach them how to incorporate them into daily life. Services will be provided in the most cost-effective approach to help the individual when there is not a natural alternative option in the environment, as authorized by the Westside Regional Center.
Why we started…
Positive Steps to Independence was born from a deeply personal journey. In 2020, my son, Luca, moved into his own apartment - a huge milestone filled with hope and challenges. Like many young adults on the autism spectrum, Luca initially struggled with daily tasks like cooking, cleaning, planning outings, and navigating social situations. But with the right support, something incredible happened: he began to thrive.
Inspired by Luca’s progress and resilience, I created a home-based program tailored to his unique needs, one rooted in person-centered planning, meaningful connections, and skill-building. That program became the foundation for Positive Steps to Independence.
Today, Luca is a vibrant, independent adult who cooks his own meals, keeps his apartment tidy, plans social events, runs errands in the community, and takes public transportation - all with the guidance of an Independent Advocate who empowers rather than directs. His journey sparked a vision: to create a program that offers the same opportunity for growth, confidence, and independence to others.
At Positive Steps to Independence, we believe that every person deserves the chance to lead a fulfilling, self-directed life. Through supportive living services and engaging social skills programs, we help individuals on the autism spectrum build real-world skills, meaningful relationships, and self-esteem. We reject the idea that anyone is limited by their diagnosis, and we work every day to replace doubt with confidence and isolation with connection.
This isn’t just a program - it’s a movement toward independence, one positive step at a time.
- Ruby, CEO/Founder