“One of the things we kept asking, and nobody could give us an answer, was this: if something happened to Lisa and me, where would Mitch go?” Don Riley said. Mitch, the Rileys’ son, has a form of autism, which is a spectrum of disorders characterized by widespread abnormalities of social interactions and communication, as well as restricted interests and repetitive behavior.
Seeking answers, the Rileys found only facilities that were cramped and not very homelike. Residents had to share bedrooms and bathrooms. There was little space for personal belongings, which would have been devastating to Mitch.
“For someone like Mitch, he needs space for belongings. He doesn’t get rid of anything,” Lisa Riley said. “He has lots of DVDs, and they are his life. If he couldn’t have them, then it wouldn’t be his home.”
Frustrated, Don, his wife Lisa, and their older son Matthew created an organization called MITCH Inc. (Many Involved Through Caring Hearts). They teamed up with Southeastern Directions for Life, the Lloyd Companies, and South Dakota Housing Development Authority (SDHDA) to create a residential center specifically for adults like their son, Mitch. At Caring Hearts, each of the six residents has his own living space and bathroom. They share a dining area, a breakfast bar, a large family room, a backyard and 24-hour staff. Caring Hearts is owned and operated by Southeastern Directions for Life Behavioral HealthCare.
SDHDA financed the development through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). SDHDA conditionally granted over $500,000 in NSP funding for Caring Hearts to be built. Through NSP, Caring Hearts replaced a foreclosed, blighted house in a Sioux Falls neighborhood with a modern facility that meets the community’s needs.
With only six units, Caring Hearts could not afford to pay conventional debt. “NSP allowed SDHDA the ability to finance this project. Developing this fantastic facility where a foreclosed, blighted structure once stood has been a great use of NSP funds,” said Mark Lauseng, Executive Director of SDHDA.
Recently Southeastern opened a sister facility, called the Journey House. Meanwhile, other adult care facilities, based on the Caring Hearts model, are popping up in other parts of the state as well. SDHDA has played a role in each of the projects.
To learn more about South Dakota Housing Development Authority, please visit their website.
For more information on the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, see our advocacy page.
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