The Journey Continues: Celebrating 40 years of independent living while preparing for the next generation

By Michael Caballero

40 years ago, in 1983, Specialized Housing opened its first house in Brookline’s Washington Square. Since then, SHI has developed 13 houses to follow in its path. These programs have created unique communities that give adults with disabilities the opportunity to live with independence while providing structure and support when needed. 

Having reached this significant milestone, we are excited to celebrate our long-term success with all of our current families, staff, and house members. The fact that so many folks from our original houses who began this journey with us back in the 80s and early 90s are still living in SHI houses is a testament to our tight-knit community, as well as our support model. Ten years ago, when we were celebrating our 30th anniversary, we were already thinking about the 40-year mark and what it would mean for our long-standing communities. We knew that we would eventually need to start planning for change and invite the next generation of individuals and families to continue the tradition of these original houses in Brookline.

One family that is prepared for that role and welcomes the opportunity to share their experience with potential new families is the Rosman family. As with most of our families, our relationship began with a phone call, followed by a house tour in Brookline. At the time, the Rosmans were also considering one of our South Portland, Maine, houses. The first two house walk-throughs were meant to be the beginning of additional tours and conversations, but while standing on the sidewalk after seeing two houses and meeting some folks, their son Adam (22 at the time) exclaimed, “I like the yellow house.” We all chuckled and didn’t think much about that comment, but a few months later, I was there to greet Adam on his move-in day at the yellow house.

It has not even been a full year, but I wanted to meet with Adam and his parents, Jay and Cathy, to see how the transition is going for their family. I was curious to see how a younger person like Adam fits in with one of our more mature populations. One of our current goals at SHI is to talk to small groups of families who know each other and might be interested in helping build the next generation of these established homes. Instead of starting a program from scratch, these young adults could move in with a small group of their friends to become part of an existing community.

Before he moved in, when Adam was still getting to know our community, I brought him to the house for his first dinner and overnight visit. Adam told me in the car, “I can’t wait to see all my friends.” He was quite serious and genuine and already felt connected to the household community, likely because — like all of our communities — they’re such a warm, welcoming, and accepting group. He walked into the house, and it was like Norm from Cheers. They all knew Adam’s name and were happy to see him.

When speaking with Jay and Cathy about their initial hopes, they shared: “We were looking for a safe place where Adam could go out into the community, and we could feel good about his safety. We wanted a home that was clean, with caring staff and residents. We also wanted a location that had easy access to transportation, work options, and activities for Adam to do.” All Adam needed in the beginning was to be close to the train. He really enjoys transportation, but it’s not just about learning all the fun facts that exist in the world of trolleys and other public transportation; he likes to use the T to explore the town, to get to know his options and become more confident and familiar with his community.

Adam credits his housemates for helping with his confidence: “Andrew has taken me to lots of places and showed me how to get there; he’s been very helpful.” Andrew has been living at the house for 28 years. He’s not the oldest but has some good experience under his belt  and Andrew seems to enjoy giving Adam support. 

Adam’s relationships with house members like Andrew is a great example of how living in a house with older and experienced house members offers built-in mentoring and a supportive community. 

His parents agree: “It’s nice that his house members are more experienced and able to show him around the neighborhood, showing him the ropes and mentoring him. It’s wonderful that he’s in an environment to learn from others with that practical experience. Adam has a lot more confidence now — even after just 10 months of living at the house. He has a willingness to do more on his own and has definitely developed his independence. He’s more self-assured; it’s been quite a positive experience and transition.”

The older adults in the home also benefit from having someone like Adam around. He’s energetic and brings a fresh perspective to their routines. Here’s Adam’s take: “I have learned a lot from my friends, but they don’t always have as much energy as I do, but I like going out with them and doing activities in Newton and Brookline.”

Adam is an active guy. When he’s not hanging out with housemates, he enjoys heading to Newton and participating in some of their parks and recreation programs through Athlete’s Unlimited. He’s recently signed up for softball. 

With an opening in his house and one next door, Adam and his parents are hoping a group of younger individuals will see the opportunity in these great communities to start the next chapter of their lives. As Jay commented, “We think Adam fits in very well at the house. The optimum would be more individuals closer in age, but we’ve experienced that a lot of the special needs population do not see age. That said, we’re expecting that Adam is the first of several younger folks to come who will benefit from this established group.”

Starting a new supported housing program is an exciting idea to many young families, but the process is long and at times uncertain. The SHI houses that are more established come not only with experienced communities of families, staff, and house members, but also neighbors and the staff of local businesses who have built relationships with the house members.

We really appreciate Adam, Jay, and Cathy taking the time to talk to us about their experiences. It’s wonderful to see how well Adam has adjusted to his new house community in Brookline. We look forward to sharing how our community develops over the next many years!