Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
 
Board
State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
 
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3/16/18  6:22 pm
Commenter: Steve Longenecker, Parent

L'Arche GWDC needs special consideration
 

I am a parent of a disabled teenager and worry about her well-being when she is an adult and particularly after I am gone. One organization that gives me significant hope about this is L'Arche GWDC. It is a very special place in which disabled and nondisabled people live together in a community. The "caretakers" view their participation in the community in religious terms often; it is a calling, not a job. It's pretty incredible. And it doesn't always fit with a modern regulatory approach. But please allow their practice and community to continue. Somehow make an exception that allows the caretaker residents at the Larche facilities to continue to live in community with the disabled residents. As I understand their view of the world, they would say each "cares" for the other. I appreciate that the Commonwealth of Virginia supports the L'Arche program by allowing the housing support to which disabled citizens are entitled to be given to a program like L'Arche. I'm sure if you visited their locations you would be more than impressed with the quality of life the disabled residents enjoy and the relationships they have with the non-disabled people who live there. It would be a true tragedy if this unique model and approach to a significant need were regulated away. 

CommentID: 63676