An update from the New Avenue Foundation,
Tom Reinke, Co-Founder and Director, Housing Programs
Jim Wurster, Co-Founder and Director, Community Programs
We would like to update you on our efforts to develop a more creative and sustainable housing model for our children or siblings, and to improve community integration.
The goal of our housing program is to establish a “house” in or near Media that will be parent led and managed through a non-profit entity. We see this as an important alternative to housing managed by provider agencies. The goal of our community program is to develop more opportunities for community-based activities by developing close ties to civic organizations and community programs.
We have made significant progress. Our project proposal has been accepted by Regional Housing Legal Services, RHLS, which has successfully completed several housing projects for people with intellectual disabilities such as HomeWorks in Montgomery County and the Bloomsburg Trinity House.
RHLS will provide the New Avenue Foundation with technical assistance throughout all phases of development, legal services and financing assistance. We also have assistance from a prominent home builder who has completed a housing project with RHLS, and we are contacting other agencies to help with this effort. The next steps are to find a construction site in Media (or other local community) and to form the non-profit’s board of directors.
We strongly believe that a new approach to community integration is as important to as the housing program — our family members need to be involved in activities that will enrich their lives. Jim has ties to many grass roots organizations in Media such as Transition Town Media and Timebank Media. Both organizations are focused on strengthening community life by providing mechanisms for community networking and support.
We believe that “reverse integration” can lead to greater community participation for our family members. Instead of waiting for the community to reach out to us, we will take the initiative to connect with community organizations such as Transition Town Media and Timebank Media. We are working on a gardening program and participating in the Media farmers market, which is active in Transition Town Media. We are excited about our progress in joining the farmers market and selling flowers at the market this spring and summer.
Finally, Tom has been selected to participate in DPW’s statewide “Futures Planning” process to develop long-term goals for the Medicaid waiver programs that are the primary source of funding for people with intellectual disabilities. We will use this opportunity to advocate for goals that will focus on expanded services and systemic changes to create more meaningful lives for our family members.
We would like to get more families involved in all of these efforts to create more meaningful lives for our family members. Any and all comers are welcome.
Tom Reinke – tom@thomasreinke.com
Jim Wurster – jimwurster@gmail.com