Built so San Diego families don't have to learn this the slow, painful way

Start with the life. Then find what funds it.

California's developmental services system is supposed to begin with the life you want for your loved one. Funding is supposed to follow goals — a real home, meaningful days, real friendships, good health. Almost nobody is told this. Most families end up reactive, asking "what services exist?" instead of strategic: "what does my loved one actually want?"

Compass leads with goals, not service menus. Pick the life. We'll help you map the funding and the providers and the paperwork to it.

Who Compass is for

• Families, parents, and guardians first. Whether you're just starting to ask questions or have been navigating SDRC for ten years, we meet you where you are.
• SLS providers and case managers — both Service Coordinators inside SDRC and independent facilitators — also have a home here. The same goal-first language families learn here is what we hope you'll hear in your next planning meeting.

Who built this

Compass is a one-person project by James Willmott (creativeround.com), built with deep care for the families it serves. There are no investors, no advertisers, and no upsells. Everything family-facing is free, and stays free, forever. The only paid surface ever contemplated is optional tooling for providers, much later in the roadmap.

What's here today

• The free goal-first parent guide (8 short steps, ~5 minutes).
• A goals library for the lives families actually want.
• A funding library: SLS, ILS, IHSS, SDP, RDI, SSI, Medi-Cal, DOR — explained.
• The 7-stage Journey, end-to-end, from diagnosis to independence.
• Curated official resources, every link a family should bookmark.
• A landing page each for SLS providers and case managers.

What's coming

The roadmap is honest about what's not built yet:

• An interactive Journey map with "you are here" markers based on your guide answers.
• A personal goal builder, with progress tracking and funding attached per goal.
• Document upload (HIPAA-grade): IPP, eligibility letters, doctor's notes.
• A providers and housing directory.
• A care schedule and reminders for IPP review dates and nurse visits.
• Spanish translation first; Tagalog, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean to follow.
• An iOS and Android app.
• A goal-first AI assistant — only after we trust it, and only after the right vendor agreements are signed.

How to help

Share your story. Help us translate. Tell us where we got something wrong. Email hello@slscompass.org — we read every message.