New group homes for people with disabilities open in Massachusetts community

From GateHouse News Service:

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. — The two new houses on Rte. 30 on the edge of town are spacious inside, with wide hallways and big bedrooms.

For Bill and Beverly Matarese of Shrewsbury, however, the homes are more than just comfortable lodging.

“It’s peace of mind,” said Bill, whose daughter, Alicia, is one of 10 developmentally disabled people residing at the houses.

Built last year, the homes at 250-250A East Main St. were specially designed for individuals like Alicia who are seeking alternatives to nursing homes.

“It’s a very financially efficient way to provide services to individuals with multiple and complex needs which are typically available only in more medical facilities such as rehabilitation centers,” said Dafna Krouk-Gordon, founder and president of Toward Independent Living and Learning (TILL), Inc., a Dedham-based human service agency that provides support staff at the homes.

All of the residents at the houses were part of a federal class action lawsuit that resulted in the 2008 Rolland Settlement Agreement, which stipulates that people with developmental delays should be able to choose where they live, including in community-based housing.

The homes in Westborough were paid for through the state Department of Developmental Services (formerly the Department of Mental Retardation), which is required to provide more independent housing for people in nursing homes under the settlement agreement.

At an open house at the homes Monday, Krouk-Gordon declined to give the total cost of the project, but said it was “very economical.”

Built according to regulations for developmentally disabled individuals, the homes are handicapped accessible and connected to each other by a deck. Five residents live in each house, which are also staffed by around-the-clock support employees as well as clinical specialists such as nurses and speech and physical therapists.

Unlike in a nursing home, the patients here have more independence, Krouk-Gordon said.

“The biggest advantage is that people can move from a restricted setting of a nursing home to cooking meals in their own kitchen, going out to the movies, going to the library, and really enjoying community life,” she said.

For a family like the Matareses, the homes in Westborough offer an improved quality of life, as well as a greater sense of security.

“(Alicia) uses a walker, and there’s a lot more room for her to move around,” said Beverly. “This is a much, much better setup.”

For the past two decades the Matareses have sought suitable housing for their daughter, who is almost 40 now. Since coming to TILL – Alicia previously lived at the agency’s third home in Westborough on Lyman Street – Bill Matarese said they no longer encounter the problems they did 20 years ago, when he said patients such as Alicia often ended up in the care of their parents.

“The people have always been good here,” he said. “They’ve really gone above and beyond the call of duty – we have nothing but good things to say.”

“Putting together a house like this is not easy,” Krouk-Gordon said. “You really have to work with the town.”

Budget cuts on the state level also create challenges when it comes to finding independent housing for the developmentally disabled, she said. “We have to continually figure out how to give opportunities to more and more people.”

But for the new residents and their families who made a toast to their new homes Monday afternoon, at least one opportunity came to fruition.

“There are many people here who took a leap of faith with us,” Krouk-Gordon said.