Ohio farm provides a Safe Haven for autistic adults

From The Cincinnati Enquirer:

Jim Wilson had lived with his parents all his life, so he was a bit nervous about moving to an unfamiliar Butler County farm in June.

"I call it home now," says the lanky 33-year-old, dressed in T-shirt, jeans and work boots. He especially enjoys working with the animals. "We got alpacas, chickens, cats, dogs, sheep."

Wilson is among 16 adults with autism who live at Safe Haven Farms in Madison Township, about eight miles northwest of Middletown. A staff of about 50 helps the residents, who began moving in last May.

The former horse farm, which by next year will have 24 residents, is the first program of its kind in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, and one of seven farm communities in the U.S. designed for adults with autism.

"I don't think we ever dreamed we could find such a nice place for him to live," says Sue Wilson of Oxford, Wilson's mother.

The driving force behind the project is Denny Rogers, a former GE Aviation manager from Liberty Township. He and his wife, Ann, connected with other parents, formed a nonprofit organization, raised $1.7 million and borrowed an equal amount to make the farm a reality.

The Rogers' 30-year-old daughter, Emily, has a severe form of autism, which affects a person's ability to communicate and interact with others. As the number of children diagnosed with the disorder continues to rise - it stands at 1 in 110 today, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - services for adults with autism have lagged, experts say.

So some parents have taken action.

A year ago, The Enquirer told of Denny Rogers' dreams for Safe Haven Farms. Since then, much progress has been made, as he pointed out last week on a walking tour.

The founders closed the deal on the 60-acre property in October. Four houses - each serving four residents - were built, with two more expected to open next spring. An above-ground pool, basketball court and softball field have been installed and a garden produces vegetables. Two greenhouses are under construction, and the rehabilitation of the 175-foot-long barn is in its early stages.

A $300,000 gift from the Hatton Foundation provided the down payment for a $700,000 day-services building that will be the farm's centerpiece. When completed in November, the Hatton Center will feature an activity room, craft room, learning center, community room, sensory room, office and conference rooms and autism library.

"We're not where we need to be yet," says Rogers, standing in the barn that one day will house a therapeutic riding program. "But there's lots of good reaction from parents. That's been gratifying."

Dave and Sue Wilson are retired from Miami University, where he was a zoology professor and she was director of registration and records at the Hamilton campus. Like many parents of children with autism, they worried about what would happen to their son when they could no longer care for him.

"There are parts of him that are smart, and parts of him are still very childlike," Dave Wilson says. Because Jim is easily distracted and works slowly, "he's never been able to be successfully employed" in the mainstream workforce.

He appeared destined to move into a group home and spend his days in a sheltered workshop doing repetitive, assembly-line work.

"He was OK with that," his father says. "But it's such a limited life. Whereas out here, he's blossoming."

From a shady spot on the farm property, the Wilsons watched their son drive a tractor, then help volunteers from GE Aviation assemble greenhouses. He's more verbal and higher functioning than many of the residents, which allows him to hold a paid job as assistant farm manager.

The Wilsons dismiss critics who say such farms take people with autism out of their communities and isolate them.

"To us, (group homes) were isolating," Sue Wilson says. "This is more freedom, because they can come out of their house and walk around. There's lots to do right here."

What's more, two 11-passenger vans regularly take residents to community activities.

Like most other parents of the farm's residents, the Wilsons make frequent visits to the farm. They attend parent committee meetings, serve on the grant-writing committee and help oversee animal care.

"Even if we're not here, I know Jimmy's being looked out for by other parents. The staff are wonderful, but I still think you need a check-and-balance system," Dave Wilson says.

The farm's service provider is RMS Spectrum Services. The staff is paid through Medicaid waivers available to adults with autism. RMS, in turn, pays rent to Safe Haven Farms Inc. for use of the facilities.

Residents pay $400 a month in rent to the farm.

Some RMS staff had previous experience working with people with autism.

And yet, "working with people with autism on a farm is new to everybody here," says farm director Ashley Johnson, a former special education teacher.

Eric Kazee, 46, of New Lebanon, whose 14-year-old son has autism, quit his job as an operations manager for Verizon Wireless to work as a support associate at the farm. "I felt like this is what I've been preparing for the past 14 years," he says.

For most of the farm's residents, "it's the biggest transition of their life," he says.

"And transition is painfully hard for most autistic individuals. It's our responsibility to make them feel as safe and loved and secure as possible."

That goal dovetails nicely with the peaceful farm atmosphere, says Mike Rogers, 34, a support associate and the son of Denny and Ann.

"Once you get them (feeling safe and loved), you can work with them and build up the confidence."

He's seen confidence grow in his sister, Emily, since she moved to the farm. "She's learning to trust the workers, trust the other people on the farm."

She now has the quality of life her parents have long wanted for her.

Mike Rogers thinks back 10 or more years to the time when Safe Haven was just a seed of an idea in his father's mind.

"He pulled me aside and said, 'I want to build this farm. It's going to take a long time.' Now sitting here, seeing buildings up, it's amazing."