Last year, Home and Community Options, Inc. (HCO) provided more hours of support than at any other time in our history. HCO provides 400 more care hours a week today than we did five years ago, despite two fewer residential programs, reduced services provided in family homes, and one less resource home.
Back in 2021, the State of Minnesota made changes to where disability service providers could provide support to people with disabilities if they lived on their own or in the family home. HCO could not provide “learning” (or habilitative) type services in provider-owned sites. This change made HCO’s Resource Home on Saehler Drive unusable for many individuals we serve, profoundly impacting HCO’s ability to provide care.
At the time, the State of Minnesota believed these services should only be provided in the family home or in a full community setting (to offer integration). However, trying to assist a child with learning basic skills at home with five other siblings can be chaotic. It quickly becomes frustrating for the individual served and invasive for other household members. It can also be challenging to help someone grow in their social development in meaningful ways out in the community when they may be concerned or anxious about how others perceive them. Sites like HCO’s Resource Home can build multiple skills in the same place: comfortable and familiar alongside peers and focused on meeting each individual’s unique needs. These factors tremendously impact a child’s learning when teaching them a new skill.
Without the ability to use the Resource Home, HCO has been providing these services based out of its one publicly accessible building: its Central Office. HCO individuals can play games, do arts and crafts, or cook meals. It’s also an excellent option to fall back on when the weather is poor and outdoor plans need to be canceled. Staff, individuals, and their families are thankful to have a location to receive this support outside the family home. However, it’s not ideal. “While everyone at the main office has been very welcoming… when it comes down to it, it’s an office building where people work,” Abby Jackson, Program Services Director, shares. “This can be challenging for children who like to run and play games such as bowling or tossing a ball around. We’ve been able to make it work. Still, there are many more benefits to providing services in an environment specifically created for support services.”
“One big challenge we continue to face from being unable to use our Resource Home is not having a consistent place to go during the cold months,” Abby says. “Kids can go to numerous parks and the local pool in the summer. However, winter weather limits the number of places you can go and do things in the community.”
Since the legislative change took effect, HCO has been advocating with other disability service organizations across the state to push for change. This past session, legislation was passed that will once again enable HCO to provide this service at our Saehler Drive Resource Home.
“We are very excited for January, when we will hopefully be able to offer more services out of the Resource Home. It is a ‘home away from home’ where people can relax, cook a meal, play various games, and build friendships,” Abby says. It has specific areas to work on cooking skills and personal cares, and it offers tools and spaces to support work on sensory or tactile processing challenges. “It creates a central hub where staff and individuals receiving support can meet up, create plans, and head back out into the community together.”
We appreciate our state legislators for recognizing this vital need and for all those who have advocated to bring this service opportunity back for those we support. It is thanks to their dedication that we can move forward.
In addition to opening up support services based out of our Resource Home, we are thrilled to share that we have begun expanding our unit-based services programs. We are working to increase contracts for those needing additional support and opening our waiting lists for those who would benefit from care. We intend to continue to increase services slowly as our employment base grows.
