DOVER, N.H. (AP) - Everyone needs a place to call their own, and one local mom is trying to make sure a specific population gets just that.
Laurie McIntosh is the executive director of a new project. Our Place Inc. is conceptual at this point, and McIntosh is determined to make it a reality. The plan is to create a supportive housing residence in the Dover area where adults with developmental disabilities can live independently, with assistance as needed.
“We, the parents, are all baby boomers,” said McIntosh. “As we age, we worry what will happen to our children with special needs. Where will they live when we are gone?”
At a new year’s get-together Friday at St. John’s United Methodist Church in Dover, families interested in supporting and having family members live at the new home, once it has been created, brainstormed ideas and talk about their needs.
Sam Cousins, 27, has Down syndrome. She is friendly, happy and roamed the room greeting everyone and introducing herself. She was the self-assigned social director of the evening.
Maria Cousins of Stratham is Sam’s mom. She loves the idea of Our Place.
“I want independence for her, and she wants that, too,” said Cousins. “An apartment can be lonely and isolating. Sam is very social and needs to be around her friends. To give her that independence and still know she will be safe means everything to me.”
Janet and Phil Desmond of Portsmouth came with their son Daniel, 28, who is autistic.
“As Danny gets older, he is still learning and growing,” said Janet Desmond. “He just got his first job, and he loves it. He is maturing and a natural step is for him to live on his own. We want to see this happen while we can still take the steps to see it is done correctly, rather than wait until we are in our 80s and it becomes harder. I really want to see this home happen.”
Barrington resident Jody Cole came with her son, Simon, who has Down syndrome. Simon, 19, is a student at Dover High School and Cole would love to see him transition to a home in the area he knows.
“We are hoping to see him have a place to live for his lifetime,” said Cole. “That would give me a lot of peace of mind. I had an accident last year and was in critical condition. It really made think of the future. Plus, Simon is at the age where he really wants to be with his peers.”
McIntosh said she is currently in the process of gaining 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, which will allow her to begin fundraising for Our Place and looking for a property where the home can be located whether that means building, buying or renovating a house.
“We think we can successfully have 10 residents in the home,” said McIntosh. “We already have received some verbal support and interest from the New Hampshire Housing Authority and from Bob Carrier, the new mayor of Dover. The law firm of Shaheen & Gordon is helping us pro bono with the nonprofit status paperwork.”
McIntosh took at look at similar homes and is modeling Our Place Inc. on an established home in Enfield called Visions.
“They have created a toolkit to help other people interested in forming supportive family housing get started without recreating the wheel,” said McIntosh. “We plan to provide a home and the services our residents might need. Our residents will be safe, healthy and happy. They can work in their community and we are hoping for an area with good public transportation. We already have a bunch of interested people, so many in fact that we are talking about a second home.”
McIntosh said once established, the home could be self-sustaining, funded by grants, donations and money the residents contribute through Medicaid, Social Security and Section 8 housing credits.
Two of the residents will be McIntosh’s sons, Doug and Alex. Both currently live in public housing in Dover. McIntosh said both have cerebral palsy and her oldest son also has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a form of autism, and needs more support than he gets in public housing.
“I think this is a good thing,” said Doug McIntosh. “We’ll have a place to live that suits us.”
On Friday, the parents enjoyed a potluck dinner, got a chance to meet each other and worked on quilt panels for the creation of one quilt to be hung in the new home one day.
“I would like to see this a reality within two years of this spring,” said McIntosh.
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