 |
Village Concept The vision for Nebraska Village of Promise is to develop a collaborative group of comprehensive services for developmentally disabled adults who may also be physically disabled. These services will be close to Village group residences, but also available for use by disabled adults and their families and care givers throughout the city. The Village will begin to realize this vision by acquiring a site of 40 acres or more for its own immediate residential use, and providing potential future sites for a group of collaborative service offerings. The site will be near shopping, entertainment, and employment opportunities for our residents. Residential Living During Phase I, the Village of Promise complex will include six duplexes or townhomes, each providing housing for up to eight developmentally disabled adults, for a total of 48 residents. These homes will be single story, and will include private bedrooms for each resident and a common area with a kitchen, dining area, living room, and storage area. Each home will be staffed with professionally educated Village employees to serve the needs of the residents. A staff member will be available whenever a resident is in the home. Included with the cluster of residences will be a community building, which will serve as a location for social events, conferences, workshops, and physical fitness training. It will also be a place where residents can entertain families and friends, assisted by Village direct care staff. Day Services for Residents Village residents will be transported by vans operated by the Nebraska Village of Promise to high-quality, certified day service providers who are located near the housing cluster. As part of our long-term vision, Nebraska Village of Promise will collaborate or partner with these services to encourage expansion or relocation to the immediate area of our residential setting. This will minimize travel time and expense for our residents. When needed, however, transportation will always be available to transport residents to other day services not necessarily located nearby. Recreation/Education Village vans also will be used to transport residents to medical and dental appointments, restaurants, therapy providers, and nearby entertainment and shopping locations. Our long-term vision is to partner with one or more non-profit organizations serving the developmentally or physically disabled metro Omaha area population to construct and operate a recreational/educational center that would include a gymnasium, swimming pool, physical fitness center, crafts center, computer learning and job training activities. This facility would be made available to other non-profits such as 4-H, YMCA and Boy and Girl Scouts needing additional sites for their programs. Also, our vision includes an educational center available not only for orienting our staff, but as a resource for regional colleges and universities educating healthcare professionals and policy makers concerning issues related to the quality of life of developmentally and physically challenged. Employment The Nebraska Village of Promise will pursue employment opportunities for our residents through partnerships with businesses, health care and educational organizations located in proximity to our residential facilities Our long-range vision is to provide some collaborative employment opportunities on-site that will be consistent with the City zoning requirements for the property on which the Village is located. National Model When achieved, Nebraska Village of Promise will be a national model that can be replicated across the United States. Policies, operational budgets, architectural designs, and administrative procedures can be provided to like minded non-profit groups throughout the United States. This will enable similar facilities to be initiated locally to serve the needs of developmentally disabled throughout the nation. |
