The Arc Nature Coast recently opened a new 6 bedroom group home on their 30 acre Neff Lake Campus. They were awarded a $350,000 grant through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation for the construction of the home built by Palmwood Construction and originally designed by PAR drafting. They also received supplemental SHIP funding through the Hernando County Housing Authority. The Arc Nature Coast has been serving intellectually and developmentally challenged individuals and their families in Hernando County since 1973. This single group home is part of an expansion and renovation of the Neff Lake Campus that will allow them to address the unique needs of their clients.
The 30 acre Neff Lake Campus was originally a chicken farm in the 1950’s. The chicken run and farmhouse were renovated by prison laborers in the 70’s to serve as training facilities and office space. The Neff Lake Campus currently serves individuals who require extensive support. Because of this they are pursuing much needed renovations and expansion.
They estimate the entire project to cost roughly $3 million with half allocated towards constructing a new enrichment facility and infrastructure improvements. The other $1.5 million would be used to construct the small group home community ($350,000 already awarded for the first group home included). They plan to pursue additional public funding for construction of the next 3 group homes. However, the development of the enrichment facilities will require extensive private and charitable donations.
At the group home’s ribbon cutting on July 30th, Mark Barry, The Arc Nature Coast Executive Director, laughed, “I don’t know how skyscrapers get built after building just a house. It’s amazing what goes into it.” Mr. Barry as well as Board President John DiRienzo thanked the numerous organizations and individuals that helped make the group home a reality.
Mark Barry introduced a resident of the new home named Ann. Ann’s story illustrates the importance of having a loving home environment and community support. A main goal of The Arc is to help give intellectually disabled individuals a satisfying, stable and happy life and in Ann’s case they have certainly succeeded. Mark explained that he’s known Ann for 22 years, since he first started with The Arc. He recalled about 16 years ago when Ann met and fell in love with her soulmate David. The Arc helped Ann and David get into a home built by Habitat for Humanity. They lived there together for 15 years with minimal support. Unfortunately about a year ago, David passed away suddenly. Ann as well as The Arc family was saddened by this devastating loss. Ann’s health began to decline and she asked if she could possibly move into the new group home when it was completed. She was approved to live at the home, but two weeks before she moved in she was hospitalized. While Mark was at the hospital visiting Ann, she said, “You’re taking me home!” He replied, “No, Ann somebody else is.” She insisted, “You’re taking me home!” Mark replied again, “No, Ann I’m not taking you home.” Ann then retorted, “Well you need to dye your hair!” “I didn’t listen to her,” Mark admitted.
Ann addressed the ribbon cutting crowd, “I want to say to everybody thank you for your love and prayers while I was hospitalized. It wasn’t easy and I really truly do love my new person who is taking care of me… Mark Barry I’ve known you a real long time, get up here. We’ve been through a lot together. You were always there for me whenever I needed you. You’re always my best friend in life. ”
Deborah Linton, The Arc of Florida Executive Director, explained that when she first began her career as a social worker, making housing comfortable was not considered to be important. She stated,”I remember going into state institutions and there were ten shower heads on a wall, ten toilets on the other wall and that was [considered] good enough for them.” As a caseworker she visited a group home that was in a wing of an abandoned hospital. Ms. Linton stated that the population she serves deserves to be able to age in place with a high quality of life. Group homes specifically designed to address their needs as well as comfort are fundamental to maintaining this high quality of life for these individuals.
Hopefully with continued public and private support, The Arc Nature Coast can continue to expand on the services they provide to Ann and those who are in similar situations. Public funding should be more readily available in the next few years. As the Florida Legislature earmarked $10 million per year for the next three years for projects like this. Nancy Stubbs, Development Director at The Arc Nature Coast explained that this funding was allocated through grants through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation and was derived from monies that were collected from bank fees from foreclosures back in the housing bust. Phase II of the Neff Lake expansion will involve demolishing the old training/enrichment facility, construction of the new 5000 square foot training/enrichment facility and renovating the administration building and snack bar.
