Hartford Business Journal

16 Hartford Business Journal • March 12, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By Gregory Seay gseay@HartfordBusiness.com C onnecticut's approval of $13 million in bonding to establish in the Hart- ford area a pair of novel, integrated communities where seniors, Millennials and people with intellectual and developmental and other disabilities live side by side could become a national model, advo- cates and developers say. Both developments, planned for Bloomfield and Canton, also will bristle with the latest assistive mechanical, electronic monitoring and communi- cations systems, such as self-opening front doors and two-way TV intercoms, to provide a safe, supportive environ- ment for residents, those observers say. Favarh - The ARC of the Farmington Valley, a Canton nonprofit provider of supportive services to people with intellectual and developmental disabili- ties and their families, and Northeast housing developer Regan Develop- ment of New York are partners in the planned development of the two as-yet unnamed apartment communities. In Canton, 40 apartments are planned; 39 units are set for Bloomfield. Ground- breaking on both is set for May. When debuted in late 2019, both communities will serve as pilots for the state's latest effort to shelter all of its residents, officials say. Known as Intel- lectual Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder Housing, or I-DASH, both will provide a community-based residency option, beyond group homes and institu- tional settings, for qualified residents. I-DASH is a collaboration between state agencies — among them the Department of Developmental Services (DDS), Department of Housing (DOH) and Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) — and nonprofits like Favarh that provide supportive services to people with intellectual disabilities. DOH's goal is ensuring every state resi- dent is sheltered; CHFA provides access to capital to fund Connecticut housing. In addition, I-DASH could benefit the state, proponents say, by improving de- livery of services to qualified residents and lowering costs. This can be done, they say, not by cutting back on staff monitors and visits, but by clustering residents and increasing the use of "smart home" technology for the high- est and best level of support. "We want to integrate people with intellectual disabilities into the com- munity as much as possible,'' said Steve DiLella, director of the Individual and family support program unit at DDS, which supports people with disabilities. Favarh and state officials say they are unaware of any similar develop- ments in Connecticut, making the Favarh-Regan projects the first of their kind in this state. Meantime, seniors and Millennials who choose to call I-DASH communities home will benefit from their location close to transportation nodes and related retail and commercial development. Ulti- mately, advocates see a greater benefit of having people of all ages, intellectual and socio-econom- ic backgrounds clustered together and supporting each other as neighbors. "We believe strongly there is a need for support- ive housing,'' said Joshua Scalora, a Department of Development Services (DDS) manager and its lead I-DASH coor- dinator. "We want to use the I-DASH program to show that the integration model is effective for those individuals, their neighbors and the communities." The $13 million state funding only covers about half the development cost for both apartment communities, officials say. Adding to the tab will be the cost of the electronic communica- tions, monitoring and communica- tions systems, plus the expense of state staffers engaged in monitoring and counseling qualified residents. Housing evolution Favarh Executive Director Stephen E. Morris said both apartment com- munities are an "evolution of housing for people with intellectual disabili- ties.'' Favarh (pronounced fay-var) was founded in 1958 to help its clients live as independently as possible; Favarh will manage the supports provided in both communities. Years ago, Connecticut was among the leaders, Morris said, in creating the "group home'' model in which many people with intellectual disabilities were removed from institutional settings and put into neighborhood homes, to be near family or work. Group homes were more community integrated and less costly to the state, relying on nonprofits to support residents' health, safety and active lifestyles. However, that model had a down- side, Morris said. "In many ways, we've isolated people into their group homes,'' he said. "We do want to integrate people with intel- lectual disabilities into the community as much as possible.'' Favarh, Morris said, realized an opportunity to boost access to, and op- tions for, independent living in a com- munity while managing Simsbury's Ojakian Commons, which opened in 2015 with 48 apartments housing people with various disabilities. Favarh teamed with Ojakian's devel- oper, Regan Development, of Ardsley, N.Y., in planning the two Canton and Bloomfield apartments. Ken Regan, co-founder and vice president, said his company has developed supportive housing communities in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Smart homes But where Ojakian offers mostly pas- sive features to accommodate the dis- abled, such as low bathroom and kitchen countertops and stovetops and extra- wide doorways for wheelchairs and electric scooters, the Canton-Bloomfield developments will be hard-wired with loads of active technology for the safety and convenience of residents. Initially, one-fourth, or 10 units, in each community will be set aside for the intel- lectually and physically disabled, authori- ties say. Those units also will be wired to accommodate "smart home" technology. The rest will be leased to seniors, empty- nesters, Millennials and others who will pay rents somewhat lower than market rates, Favarh and Regan officials say. For instance, unit entry doors will be electrically operated for the ease of wheelchair-bound residents, said Mor- ris and Regan. Assistive Shelter Favarh's planned residential communities will embrace those with, without disabilities Rendering of the 39-unit apartment building that Canton nonprofit Favarh and Regan Development plan for Bloomfield, one of two supported housing developments planned for the Farmington Valley. Favarh Executive Director Stephen Morris (left) with John Schroen, one the people supported by the Canton nonprofit who looks forward to eventually residing in one of its apartments. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED RENDERING | CONTRIBUTED

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