It's Sunday and Josh, 35, is waiting for his parents to arrive. He peers out the window of Bend’s Kearney Apartments, where he’s lived since it opened in 1998.
Built and designed specifically for meeting the needs of adults with disabilities, Kearney and its sister property, Norton, built a few years later, also offer services and support to allow the residents to be as fully autonomous as possible.
“We wanted Josh to be independent,” says Josh's mom, Becky Arnold. “We wanted him to have a life on his own terms.”
That doesn’t mean Josh is alone. His parents visit every Sunday, and often during the week, to help him prepare his grocery lists, shop, and organize his meals and tasks for the week.
Diagnosed with ADHD and dysbraxia, Josh has difficulty speaking and is unable to read and write. He loves routine, abhors change, and likes his tasks neatly organized so he can plan his week, which includes working at the Bend Thrift Store, riding his bike, and visiting people. “He is very outgoing and social,” says Becky.
And with his parents helping him plan for his workweek, Josh functions quite well.
Josh’s parents live on a sheep farm 10 miles outside of town. They knew he needed to be closer to his job, and were worried about what would happen to him when they were no longer around. But mainly, Becky says, they wanted him to live an independent life as an independent adult.
“He’s an adult with disabilities, not a disabled adult. As long as you meet his needs, he can have a very full life.”
His independence allows his parents to have a life of their own, as well.
“We have a very full life,” says Becky. “…As I have an internet connection I can communicate with Josh.” Becky emails him, and his co-workers read the messages to him and type in his response.
“We make it work for everybody,” she says.
Kearney Apartments, completed in 1998, was funded with HOME dollars administered by Oregon Housing and Community Services. It has 10 units: seven one-bedroom and three two-bedroom, which house 12 residents ages 24-58.
The residents have HUD Section 8 assistance. Local community action agency Neighbor Impact provides Low Income Energy Assistance, and CCDC pays about $100 per month per tenant for many of the services they need. Other costs are covered by residents’ personal care dollars, funds from a state brokerage that assists Oregonians with disabilities, and the residents’ families.
Cascade Community Development Corporation has established a long-standing policy of collaboration and partnering with groups like COTP that can provide a high level of expertise in social services, community involvement, special needs housing, and specific disability issues.
The collaboration between CCDC and COTP was so successful, the two organizations decided to build more units to house more people. The first phase of the Norton Apartments was built in 2003 with HOME and Trust Funds. It contains 10 units—six studios and four medium-sized, one-bedroom units. The second phase, built in 2004 with no public funding, contains three larger, accessible one-bedroom units. Thirteen residents live at Norton.
“It’s really imperative for people to realize that when your child goes into this, it is a family thing. When we’re not around he will have cousins and a brother who will have to take over,” says Becky.
Knowing that Josh will be taken care of into the future sets Becky’s mind at ease. She has set up a trust fund to take care of his long-term expenses and knows she has created an extended family to support him, as well.
“The better we do now,” she says, “the better hope we have that he’ll be OK when we’re no longer around.”
To learn more about Oregon Housing and Community Services, please visit their website.
For more information on Supportive Housing, see our advocacy page.
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