They are the poorest among us. They make up the single largest category of the homeless population. They are the least educated. They have the lowest employment rates. They are victims of intentional neglect, exploitation, sexual abuse and physical violence. They are our most vulnerable members of society. They include every race and creed. They are our largest minority.
You ask, “Who are they? Where do they live? How did this happen?"
They are the children, grandchildren, cousins, brothers and sisters of many people we know. They are people touched by disabilities. They live in our neighborhoods and communities. This happened because of ignorance and fear.
We are currently facing a crisis with regard to housing and programs for adults with developmental disabilities. As parents of baby boomers are becoming too old to care for their adult children with developmental challenges, critical government funding stagnates. This affects not only programming and the number of spaces available in group homes, but also in the quality of care.
Although many “group homes” exist, there is already a waiting list for beds in this state. Unless parents die or the disabled adult exhibits severe behaviors, they remain with their aging parents. In addition, many families with young disabled children look ahead four, five and six decades, and are filled with hopelessness and anxiety about the future for their children.
Where will these people go when their caregiver dies? What will their quality of life be? Healing Farm Ministries was established to inspire the faith community to find ways to address these concerns.
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