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Why the George Street Residences matter to me

Most of you know that my brother lives at home with my parents, and that at some point in the future, this might no longer be an option. While he can do a lot on his own, living alone isn't really a good option.

There are lots of issues with available housing for people with developmental disabilities including long waitlists for group homes and the group home not really being a great fit for the individual (for example, in a public group home where there might be less choice of where you go, it could be that Joey ends up somewhere that's not as stimulating for where he is at independence-wise). There are some private group homes, but they are few and far between.

A few years ago, we started touring some of these, and came across a place that I only dreamed would exist in the real world. It was started by a woman several decades ago, who just decided one day "everyone deserves a home" and created this little Eden in downtown Hamilton. It's affordable (room and board is equivalent to one's Ontario Disability Support Program amount i.e., quite low) and it has a sense of community. They have several homes with interconnected back yards with gardens and sitting areas. They have barbecues every weekend and other joyous events (see pictures).

While Joey can do a lot on his own, he benefits from the cuing and the structure of a home, especially one that pulls him out of his shell and gives him structure for social opportunities. Joey picked it over the other ones we saw because he said it was more like family. That was enough for me!

Testimonials: 

It's a well run mom and pop kind of home for people with developmental delays to live together as a community. Honestly the happiest place I've ever been to. - Richard Zsolt

I made lots of friends. -- Lucy Stormborn, Bringer of Rain (aka Lucy the dog)