Established in January 2020, Bridge21 is a local nonprofit aiming to provide an inclusive community for the area’s neurodiverse population. Longtime Parkite Stephanie Polukoff was named executive director in early July.
Polukoff has more than 34 years of experience as a pediatric occupational therapist, including 17 years with the Park City School District. During her time as an occupational therapist, she supported kids with autism, Down Syndrome, Williams Syndrome and other developmental delays.
But Polukoff started to wonder if her work at the district was helping kids learn independent living skills so they could live independently with support.
“I really felt like I was not seeing that happen from a professional standpoint, I didn't see people with neurodiversity, living alone or living alone with support or really even going to jobs a lot or recreating a lot out in the community,” she said.
That’s why Polukoff and parents of children with developmental delays started Bridge21; to bridge the gap for children aging out of the school system. Children in special education programs have the opportunity to stay in the school system until they’re 21 but have limited options after they have to leave.
“Where are they going to live? Where are they going to work? How are they going to get there? Who’s going to support them, who’s going to take care of them?” Polukoff said. “There’s a gap there that’s really difficult for families to navigate.”
There are three pillars needed to support neurodiverse people: housing, work and recreation. Polukoff said the National Ability Center does a great job with the recreation pillar and Bridge21 aims to fulfill the housing pillar.
Bridge21 broke ground on Summit County’s first cognitively accessible affordable housing this month in Silver Creek Village. Polukoff said she was currently working on acquiring two or three more homes in the same neighborhood. She is also creating an application process for neurodiverse people who want to live independently in a Bridge21 home.
“Our residents will need to be able to follow directions, need to be able to wake themselves up and, you know, handle their own hygiene and then be safe in the kitchen,” Polukoff said. “Other than that, you know, we'll have a lot of support, we'll have verbal, physical, visual support for them in the home.”
The home will also have remote monitoring technology to help keep residents safe. For example, a water meter will make sure a faucet is not left running, potentially flooding the home.
The home is expected to be ready by March 2025.
Polukoff hopes to create neurodiverse pocket communities in Park City and Wasatch County in the future.
