New homes offer independence for adults with disabilities in Fayetteville
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- It's becoming easier for adults with disabilities to find a place they can truly call home.
Employment Source, a nonprofit that supports people with disabilities, has launched its most ambitious project yet: two brand-new homes designed to foster independence and connection.
"It's just important for them to kind of get that sense of independence away from having so much support," said Kylie Bartlett, program director for Employment Source.
For 31-year-old Michael Patrick Brown, moving into the new home has changed his life.
"This is going to be my room," Brown said, opening the door to his bedroom. "It was amazing. It's like I won the lottery."
Brown is a resident of Friendship House Fayetteville, a program that helps adults with developmental disabilities gain independence.
"I have high-functioning autism... There are people who could be just like me. We're very capable of just functioning in society just as well. But this doesn't mean you still can't make something of yourself," Brown said.
For Brown, the goal is simple: to build a true sense of community.
"Schools, it's I wasn't exactly the average normal kid there so I did get kind of lonely and I did feel isolated at times, which is why this community so important to me," he said.
Employment Source, the nonprofit behind these homes, believes this approach helps build community, break down stigma, and teach important life skills.
For Bartlett, the mission is deeply personal. Her aunt lived with Down syndrome.
"It's just important for them to kind of get that sense of independence away from having so much support," Bartlett said.
These new homes add to an already inclusive community.
"We have two apartments, um, and so six apartments total. And each apartment, we have four people living together. Three, what we call like our young or student professionals," Bartlett said.
As the demand for inclusive housing grows, Bartlett says community support is essential.
"We've struggled to get people in. We provide a lot of support, Employment Source does, for our student professionals and our friends. So kind of just teaching everybody how to live together and what it means to be out on their own for the first time. Our original focus was medical students. But we've kind of branched out in kind of just looking for anyone between 18 and 40 who really kind of has a heart. I mean, we don't expect much. We don't expect them to be caretakers," she said.
Each resident will pay $650 a month as part of their path to independent living. For Brown, this is only the beginning.
"Your disability does not define how you're able to live your life. You can still make the best of things no matter what people try to say to you," Brown said.
Brown says he is excited to move in with his roommate and bake delicious pastries.
Looking ahead, Bartlett said the team hopes to build six more homes in the next few years.
How to become a student professional
https://servicesource.org/friendship-house-fayetteville/
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