Bridge 21 was founded in 2018 by parents who have children with special needs who are aging out of the school system where several services and benefits were provided for them.
Deb Hartley is the executive director of Bridge 21 and says right now these kids only have a couple of options and both involve living with their parents - either in the bedroom they grew up in, or their parents built-out the basement to give them some more space. But when mom and dad can no longer take care of them, Hartley says they need somewhere to go.
“We're talking about people on the autism spectrum disorder, people with spina bifida, Down syndrome, that sort of thing,” Hartley said. “It is not mental health, it is not drug recovery, it is not suicide prevention. It is primarily people that navigate the world differently than you and I were considered neurotypical, they are neurodiverse and together living together, we would be neuro-inclusive community.”
Recognizing the need for housing for this population, Hartley says they looked to see what their options were. Other than the Holiday Village apartments, she says there are none.
That Holiday Village Parkside Apartments development will be undergoing a huge renovation, adding many more units but those won’t be available for another five to seven years. So, Hartley went out to Silver Creek Village and spoke with the developers from Hillwood Homes who have created a pocket neighborhood with four houses all on one street that could be developed into neurodivergent housing.
“They had their architect redesign the inside so that all bedrooms were ensuite,” Hartley said. “They worked with us and we put four homes under contract. Each home has its own separate ADU, auxiliary dwelling unit, for a resident advisor to live in, so that each house has five bedrooms, except one has six bedrooms. So, at the end of the day, we will be able to house 21 neurodiverse individuals with four resident advisors to live with them and support them.”
The cost? $4.5 million, which Hartley says they don’t have in the bank.
“Quite honestly, that's where we're hitting a roadblock because if we can't get our financing, we can't move forward with these,” Hartley said. “So, we are talking to banks, we are talking to potential big donors that would like to support us because if it's not now, I don't know when it's going to be.”
An open house for one of the model homes is planned for Friday, June 23, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Hartley said she encourages those who might be interested in such housing to attend.
She is also hoping for an angel investor or someone who may be interested in the naming rights of the project to contact her. Her deadline to finance the homes is mid-July.
Find more information on the project and how to help here.
