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Life for Todd Wojciechowski is nothing short of exciting. From playing video games to going out into the community to volunteer, he’s a busy guy.
He won a silver medal in bowling with Special Olympics in a recent competition and competes in basketball through Special Olympics as well. On Thursdays, Wojciechowski enjoys going to the Rec Center to hang out and see people. “I love it there,” he says.
Back at home, he enjoys watching old episodes of The Price is Right with his housemates, video game videos on YouTube and cheering on his favorite team, the Green Bay Packers. He recently acquired an Oculus virtual reality headset that will make gaming easier by learning how to move things with his eyes. “I’m a pretty easy going guy,” he says.
Wojciechowski lives in one of The Arc’s supported living homes that are owned, leased or rented by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The home he currently lives in was a part of a restructuring within the supported living program to provide more room for new clients. This involved making duplex sites all men’s or all women’s to allow for cross-training between the staff in each home, and moving into new homes.
For Jared Bradshaw, a manager in the supported living program, the move from the Atlantic site to the 35th site was fairly smooth with supporting clients and keeping them involved throughout the moving process. An added bonus to moving sites was discovering more closets and storage throughout the home. “The teamwork was really nice across everybody. Staff, managers; just everyone was ‘all right what can we do to help?’”
Another exciting addition to the supported living program is a new home in the Riverview Retirement Community. To address the limited availability of suitable housing for people with IDD over the age of 55, Riverview leased a five-bedroom home to clients of The Arc. Clients who live in this home have access to all of the amenities that Riverview provides and offers opportunities for socialization with their peers.
“The Arc of Spokane’s Supported Living Program believes that having a disability should not prevent someone from enjoying a rich and meaningful life. It is gratifying to see four individuals in our program come together to lease a beautiful home in an inclusive community,” Jennifer Miller, Director of Residential Services at The Arc says.
One of the clients at the Riverview site, Kathy Humphrey, otherwise known as “Chatty Kathy” by people from her hometown, enjoys living in a home with housemates who are similar to her and age with more opportunities to be social. Her spunky personality shines through in her interactions with staff from The Arc. “I pick on the staff and play games with the staff,” she says.
In her early life, Humphrey grew up on a farm where she rode horses and enjoyed going to church. She wants people to know she has a normal life and likes Precious Moments figurines. After a few moves, she’s hopes this is her forever home. “It’s my dream house because it’s new. I’ve never been in a new place.”
From Riverview site house manager Missie McDowell’s perspective the new home has had a positive impact on the clients. “The ladies love it here. It is a beautiful setting for them. It’s big enough for them all to be able to interact with each other.”
Formally the house manager at the 4th site, McDowell brings nine years of experience at The Arc to this new site. Working with new clients and a partially new staff, she is excited to be a part of these individuals’ lives and support them in their independence. “My goal is to make sure that these ladies go out into the community more often. My goal is to make sure that they eat healthier; that they have the independence that The Arc stands for in our mission statement,” McDowell says.