Kate Elberson, Support Staff

It was the spring of 2014, I was a sophomore in college and was looking for a new job to challenge myself. My best friend told me about the place she had started working at called HCO and told me I should apply. I had some experience working with people with disabilities in my neighborhood back home, so I figured I would give it a shot. By the end of the week, I had a job with HCO as a Direct Support Professional.

Within a few short months, I fell in love with my work and the four (now 5) gentlemen I worked for. A job that started as a part-time gig, turned into a real passion. My guys taught me so much about what it meant to care for others. So, when the chance came to excel further in the form of a promotion at another program, I felt like I had yet another opportunity to challenge myself. The transition was crazy and sometimes chaotic, but I caught on quickly and settled in to my new role. Now I work with 27 exceptional young adults, varying in age from 15 to 41, and one special lady who’s 71. We work with a range of disabilities from autism spectrum disorder to fetal alcohol syndrome, epilepsy and psychotic disorder. My work has challenged me in that it hasn’t just made me a better person to serve others – it has made me a better person to serve myself. The stresses I have encountered through this job have allowed me to discover healthy coping skills for myself that I will transfer in every aspect of my life moving forward.

When I’m not at work, I like spending time with my friends and my two cats. I’m a huge Packer fan (I’m from Milwaukee – it’s not my fault) so I love watching and attending games whenever the opportunity arises. I love to travel and have been to several countries, including the UK, France, Ireland, and Thailand. I also like going to concerts and shows, mostly hip-hop and punk rock. I have ambitions to complete my masters in Occupational Therapy, which I plan to enroll in soon.

Keri, with daughters Kenley, Callie, and husband, Sam (right to left)

Keri Cada was introduced to HCO by her future husband, who was working at the Saehler Drive Resource Home. She and her husband have two little girls, ages 6 and 3. Keri, an Early Childhood/Elementary Education major at Winona State University (WSU), thought that working there would be good training for her future career. She started part time at Saehler in 2007. Little did she know that her future career would be at HCO.

After graduation from WSU in 2009, Keri taught at a childcare center in Rochester, but soon found that the drive from Winona and home again was pretty grueling. HCO was hiring a full-time Primary Counselor at the Saehler Drive program.  Since she had enjoyed her time working there previously, she decided to apply and was hired as the Primary Counselor. Keri was a primary counselor at Saehler for four years, then applied and was promoted to Coordinator for 1055 and 1117 (now 1301) programs in 2014.

The women at 1055 all work at DAC or ORC. Keri compares their relationship to that of college roommates. They get along well and when there are conflicts, they work them out. They have been together about 7 or 8 years. The men who live at 1301 actually arranged for themselves to be roommates. They were in other houses, but each wanted to find a better fit. They struck up a conversation, then approached HCO about becoming roommates. They get along well and have an active life.

Keri’s teaching training has been a perfect background for her job at HCO.  Part of the job of the support staff is to teach skills that will make the home lives of those they support run more smoothly and be positive experiences. Those in the homes have to understand that they all have their own needs, and they often need to be able to compromise to accommodate others’ needs. The staff also try to teach the individuals techniques to deal with conflicts when they arise. Keri says sometimes that can mean either walking away or keeping their comments to themselves.

Keri enjoys teaching and mentoring staff, both new and experienced. People don’t necessarily come to the job with the confidence to deal with the challenges they are met with each day. Teaching staff how to provide choices and alternatives to individuals so they have autonomy in making the best choices for their health and wellbeing, while also meeting their wants/needs is an important talent to have, says Keri. If an individual asks for a candy bar, for instance, when the time is not right, it is better to say, “Would you like a candy bar after supper?” instead of, “No.” Keri says all staff need mentoring in such redirection, which serves to prevent problems before they arise.

Oftentimes during the first six months, Keri says, new staff are trying to figure out how to take charge of their situation. Then something clicks, and they see that the techniques they have learned are working.

Keri is a member of the Training Committee, which is responsible for setting up agency trainings and making sure that paperwork is in compliance with licensing requirements of Minnesota’s Human Services Department. She is also a new hire trainer.

In addition to teaching and mentoring, Keri is responsible for staffing. There are about 20 staff in her programs, three of which are full-time. She said she likes to involve the staff in making sure that all of the shifts are covered and was gratified with how well they worked together to make sure that the holidays were properly staffed. Still, there are challenges in staffing when the unexpected happens, and they all have to adapt quickly.

Because of the number of part-time and student staff members, HCO is constantly seeking new applicants. Keri looks for certain qualities in applicants that she knows from experience will contribute to a more successful experience at HCO, such as patience, commitment to the job, compassion, the ability to care about people, and the ability to ask questions when needed.

She encourages people to get involved with HCO if they want a fun place to meet fun people. She says it is a good way to learn about the community, since staff are out in the community so much with the individuals they work with. They also get to participate in special activities such as professional sports games, camps, weekend trips, the musical, and other outings.

Keri has seen community support for HCO grow over the years and says it is gratifying to see the interaction between the community and HCO individuals. She feels lucky to be a part of it.

Mary Jansen is a people person. In her office in the basement of Home and Community Options, she is surrounded by pictures of individuals in the HCO community.  “When I look at these pictures,” she says, taking a moment to admire the faces of people she has cared for over the years, “I could tell you stories about each one.”

Mary is going into her 44th year at the agency, having started after a friend approached her in the spring of 1976.  She recently graduated with a degree in Psychology and Sociology and later became a licensed Social Worker.  She was initially hired as a Primary Counselor and became a Program Coordinator in 1981 when the agency opened a second home. Mary oversaw the new program entirely and played an integral role in its development. She handled the hiring and training of staff, partnered with work/day programs, supported individuals, and helped families with transitioning their loved ones back into the community.

“I worked with the county and with our Executive Director going to regional state hospitals to find people who were originally from Winona or had family here,” Mary recalls. She felt like she was able to play a big part in helping individuals have a better quality of life and live closer to family.  One family in particular was very concerned about their daughter moving back to the community. They had many “What if’s”.  They were worried for her safety and the level of supervision she would be receiving. Mary was able to quell those fears, and once their daughter moved here, the family was able to enjoy having her close by. They also saw the positive changes in her as she became more involved in the community.

As the years progressed, Mary worked alongside state and county representatives to provide support that was more person-centered and individualized. Programs designed to support twelve were able to move people to live in homes of four. Teams worked together to find homes and match individuals by looking at personal interests and who people wanted to live with. Support became more personalized and allowed for flexibility in services that larger homes did not.

Mary was later promoted to Director of Residential Services alongside Helen Onnen, who oversaw in-home services.  These two women oversaw all the services that the agency provided. Looking back, especially at opening up their first home, Mary couldn’t find the words to describe how powerful that was. “You can’t imagine going through all of that.  We had nothing and made it work.”  It was definitely easier to get to know all the employees when the agency was smaller! HCO now employs over 300 staff across four service divisions, one of which Mary continues to oversee.  “It is exciting to see how the agency has grown over the years and how many individuals and families we have been able to provide support to.”

Mary feels humbled by how fortunate she has been over the years to come to work each day doing something she enjoys. “HCO is family,” she added with a smile, “I can only hope that I have had as much of an impact on the individuals I have worked with over the years that they have had on me. They have taught me a lot about myself.” People at the agency feel the same way about Mary, some of whom came to Home and Community Options at Mary’s suggestion.  When she recommends people to work here, it’s because Mary often recognizes that they are caring, compassionate and respectful of others differences. “You can teach the responsibilities of a job, but it is hard to teach someone compassion.  It is about the people we support, not us.”

This outlook on life threads through any conversation you have with Mary when talking about Home and Community Options.  She has come to love numerous people she has worked with as friends and family. She believes that it is the people that have kept her at the agency for so long: from individuals who call Mary daily to chat and catch up, to her coworkers. “We are always there for each other,” she said.  The family that she has found at Home and Community Options has not only supported Mary, but has taught her just as much.  Some of the lessons she noted were to empathize with the people around her, give back and treat other people with kindness, respect, and be fair. “Everybody has different learning styles in how they process things and tasks can be learned differently with the same outcome” Mary said.  Whether they are an individual that the agency helps support or a friend from the community, Mary strives to empower those around her to continue to grow and learn.

Even when things don’t go exactly how Mary thought they would, she feels it always worked out.  She couldn’t help but beam while she shared some memories. What is remembered most aren’t moments of stress, but are the fond memories with individuals.

When changes in how services are provided have occurred (which often times have been challenging), HCO has always embraced it and moved on. Requirements for providing services are constantly changing, terminology has expanded, funding has been tough and the need to have legislator involvement is higher than it has ever been before.  Despite challenges like these, providing quality services continues to be the focus for HCO.

As someone who has been a part of the agency since it began, Mary is proud of the services that she has been able to help provide and that employees are treated respectfully.    HCO has continued to live by its mission and core values. “Everyone deserves to have the same life experiences and be treated with respect.  It doesn’t matter if a person has a disability or not, they should be given opportunities to explore what is important to them and be a part of something.  We should be focusing on teaching skills of independence and empowering people to be the best person they can be”.