Three Times a Charm

By Tom Toronto
President

Three times a charm: never before has such an adage rung more clearly than over the course of this past week.  On three consecutive days, my colleague Jenai Gaccione and I, along with our realtor, toured ranch homes in Bergen County in an effort to fulfill an initiative recently instituted by New Jersey’s Department of Community Affairs to relocate 600 special needs individuals from state-run developmental centers into community based housing.  In order to accommodate the medical needs of many of these 600 individuals, the initiative provides significant financing for the acquisition and rehabilitation of one story ranch homes.  The first day of our quest to accomplish this initiative prompted Jenai and I to ambitiously set out to tour eight ranch homes in various Bergen County towns in a two hour time frame.  At the end of this marathon, we narrowed the list of eight homes down to two homes after careful consideration of the number of bedrooms, width of doors, and number of steps in each house.  The following day, Jenai and I took Shari DePalma the Executive Director of our developing partner, Madeline Corp., back to review the two homes.  While Jenai and I felt proud that Shari approved of our housing selection, we knew that such approval meant that we were headed back to the homes the next day.  It was on this next day, that we all accompanied representatives from a special needs service provider to earn their approval in transforming the ranch homes into group homes.  Although it took three visits, the final visit was certainly a charm as the representatives expressed alacrity to begin the transformation!    

Our Search for Housing, by Eamon Bencivengo

Last Wednesday I hopped in a car with a housing realtor and my colleague Jenai Gaccione to begin a tour of a ranch home for sale in Bergen County.  New Jersey’s Department of Community Affairs and Housing Mortgage Finance Agency have partnered to create a program to provide new living units for 600 special needs individuals emerging from recently closed state-run developmental centers.  In treating special needs individuals with respect by working to integrate them into local communities, the program provides significant financing to housing developers who can acquire and rehabilitate a one floor ranch home into a special needs group home.  Furthermore, the program specifies that each home should provide enough beds and living space to accommodate four special needs adults, while the home itself should be in a town which has a sizable municipal housing trust fund which can be used to offset the financing costs shouldered by the state.  Thus, as we drove up Route 17 to tour our first home in Ridgewood, we reviewed the requirements which would make this home a potential future group home; wide hallways and doorways, a spacious kitchen and living room, four bedrooms, and a large bathroom to name a few.  As we arrived at the house we were met by Tom Toronto, Bergen County’s United Way President, along with two representatives from the ARC which would provide the care to the future special needs residents of the home.  After entering the home, we were delighted to find its potential to be rehabilitated into a group home as it satisfied nearly all of our requirements.  Some further discussions with the service provider, rehab construction work, and application filing are the only requirements needed to create a new home for four special needs individuals!

Special Needs Housing - Changing lives for families and individuals

By Jenai Gaccione

Housing Services Coordinator

Bergen County's United Way

For those who support a family member with a developmental disability, the dream of independence is often out of reach. Many individuals with developmental disabilities may find themselves institutionalized when their family can no longer care for them even if they have the ability to be independent. Two years ago, BCUW moved its first residents into Orchard Commons and Robert’s House, a special needs housing community for adults with developmental disabilities. Ten individuals live at Orchard Commons, and three individuals live at Robert’s House. Both Orchard Commons and Robert’s House are in Allendale, right near the center of town. The tenants moved into their beautifully situated apartments in October 2010. Since then, they have been working on enhancing their independent living skills – working, attending day programs and volunteering - all while making new friendships with neighbors, and getting acclimated into the community.  

What’s on the agenda for the holidays - a party at Mayor Barra’s house!  Then we’ll ring in a New Year of social club gatherings, monthly tenant meetings, and game nights with the Allendale Woman’s Club.  2012 is going to be a good year.