A grab bar. A safer bathroom. An accessible entrance. Sometimes a relatively simple home modification can make a tremendous difference in someone’s ability to live safely and independently at home.
New California DHCS data shows just how valuable these changes can be. Environmental Accessibility Adaptations—including home modifications—were associated with a 51.4% net cost reduction, making them one of the most cost-effective CalAIM Community Supports studied. For perspective, other Community Supports showed net cost reductions ranging from 1.2% to 19.9%, while Personal Care and Homemaker Services showed 79.9%. Each service serves an important purpose, but the data demonstrates that home modifications are among the strongest performers for cost-effectiveness. DHCS found that all 14 Community Supports studied were associated with reductions in the use of one or more costlier services or settings.
Investing in the Home Can Mean Investing in the Future
California’s Community Supports program continues to evolve, with services reaching hundreds of thousands of Medi-Cal members. In 2025 alone, more than 798,000 Community Supports services were delivered to more than 357,000 Medi-Cal members. As California continues to evaluate and refine CalAIM, the message from the data is encouraging: community-based support can improve outcomes while making better use of health care resources.
Home modifications are a particularly strong example.
With a 51.4% net cost reduction, Environmental Accessibility Adaptations demonstrate that making a home safer and more accessible can provide substantial value compared with the cost of more intensive care that may otherwise become necessary. At Home Safety Services, that reinforces what we see every day: sometimes the most effective way to improve someone’s health and independence is to improve the place they call home. A safer home can mean greater independence, fewer barriers, and potentially fewer costly interventions.
That’s the promise of home modifications—and it is a promise that Home Safety Services is committed to delivering. By making homes safer and more accessible, we help support independence, reduce barriers and potentially prevent the need for more intensive and costly care.
A safer home can mean greater independence, better outcomes and a more effective health care system.
Home Safety Services is proud to support the goals of CalAIM—and committed to helping people live safely at home.
For more information, see this fact sheet.