Amanda moved into her own beautiful, two-bedroom apartment in a vibrant community with a roommate similar in age who shares her love of being out and about, going to restaurants, amusement parks, and karaoke nights. Her mother would be the first to admit that she doubted her daughter could live on her own. ‘I always thought it may be possible for people with less complex needs, but not someone like my daughter.’
Yet Amanda and her first roommate, Ann Marie, cooked, watched movies and scrapbooked together. ‘We have become best friends,’ says Ann Marie. ‘We go swimming and play in the game room. I love living with Amanda. And, I think she loves living with me’.
The supports provided to Amanda to live the life she and her family have always dreamed of come from SEEC’s Community Living Program (CL) within the Supported Living (SL) department. Community Living provides support for 50 men and women, up to 24 hours a day, seven days a week if needed. Most people supported in the SEEC CL department live with a roommate in an apartment or townhouse in Montgomery County. SEEC staff work with each person to ensure their home represents how they want to live. Supports range from drop-in assistance with grocery shopping and bill paying to 24-hour support for those with more significant needs.
Another way SEEC helps people to thrive is through the Individual Supports Program which assists people in their educational, recreational, fitness, and social endeavors with individualized supports. Individual Supports serve people who reside in their own home and are assisted by a circle of support. SEEC’s community engagement coaches work with each person to create a monthly schedule of well-rounded, meaningful experiences that provide personal enrichment and prosperous employment. Our coaches provide training and assistance as needed, and when appropriate, help to develop or obtain adaptive equipment to help each person become as independent as possible.
People receiving Individual Supports spend their entire day in the community. Half of each day is spent working, volunteering, or participating in job-readiness activities. The other half is filled with educational, leisure and fitness activities. Both the Individual Supports Program and the Community Living Program, for those who require more traditional community residential services, operate under the Supported Living Department.