Getting ready for game night: Jonathon Reinheimer, Reed McAlphia, Spencer Cohn, Stanley Wolf, Adam Garfield Turner and James Pentis.
A Place of Their Own
Group neighborhood provides independence to adults with disabilities. JENNIFER LOVY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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osing a sister to breast cancer forced Melanie Cohen to address the question that keeps every parent of a child with a disability awake at night: “Who will take care of my child when I’m gone?” Watching her nieces and nephew become orphans, Cohen suddenly realized the importance of making and implementing a long-term plan for her 23-year-old autistic son Spencer. Although she and her husband are healthy and Spencer has a younger brother, Cohen felt it was important to find housing that would give Spencer his independence and allow him to live in an environment where he would not feel isolated. While researching options, she came across the concept of an intentional community and felt it would be the best living situation for her son. The idea intrigued her because Spencer could live with his peers in housing that would be walking distance from shopping and a potential place for him to work, which is especially important since he does not drive. Plus, living among the residents, there would be a community builder whose part-time job would be to mediate roommate disputes, etc. While the concept was intriguing, there were no local options. Cohen, who lives
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in West Bloomfield, joined a handful of like-minded moms who were creating an intentional community. They shared a vision, agreed on a mission statement, and ultimately formed a nonprofit organization called Integrative Neighborhoods of Oakland County.
Melanie Cohn and Spencer Cohn
The group has seven young adults with varying degrees of disabilities, all living in three apartments in Hunters Ridge Apartments and Townhouses, in Farmington Hills. They are also looking to expand to other areas around Oakland County and collaborating with almost a dozen families looking to establish an intentional community east of Woodward.
In the Hunters Ridge Apartments, each resident has a daytime caregiver providing a set number of hours per week. The residents also work or attend a day program. For example, Spencer has a job cleaning at West Bloomfield High School and has state funding for a caregiver to spend 20 hours a week with him. When Spencer isn’t working, he likes to ride his bike around the neighborhood or walk to one of the nearby stores, where he regularly buys a diet Coke. He also enjoys participating in game nights organized by his roommate Stanley Wolf. During the summer, these bi-weekly Saturday night gatherings took place outside because of COVID. As the temperatures dropped, game night moved to an online format. There was also talk of starting Shabbat dinners (four of the seven residents are Jewish) but until there is a vaccine, Friday night dinners are on hold. Spencer and Wolf share a three-bedroom apartment with one other roommate. According to Wolf, they’ve lived there for one year and five months and love their independence. “I can do what I want, and I have good roommates,” said Wolf, who likes to go
PHOTOS COURTESY OF INTEGRATIVE NEIGHBORHOODS OF OAKLAND COUNTY
Jews in the D
