Topeka ? Advocates say they will urge Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and the Legislature to support services that give Kansans with disabilities more independence.

That means more funding and programs that assist people in their homes and communities, rather than forcing them to live in a nursing home, said Shannon Jones, executive director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Kansas (SILCK).

“Through the utilization of home- and community-based services, the state has been able to give consumers an option which is less expensive than institutional care,” Jones said this week.

“And it keeps a person in his or her own home and community. This is truly a win-win strategy,” she said.

It costs about $30,000 a year for a person to live in a nursing home, more than double the cost to provide services in personal homes, according to figures provided by SILCK and the Kansas Association of Centers for Independent Living.

The advocacy groups said they would urge policymakers to implement a multiyear strategy to “rebalance” long-term care funding in the state. The Legislature starts its 2008 session in January.

While the number of people in nursing facilities in Kansas has dropped during the past 20 years, the number of people receiving services in their homes has increased.

Currently, about 11,000 people are cared for in each setting.