Creating a space for everyone is at the core of this nonprofit Community People are “The Why” INSIDE:
Supporting in the Community
Independence
People are ‘The Why’ at North Coast Community Homes. //
By Kristen Hampshire
It’s more than a seat at the table, more than a reminder. A repurposed dining room chair’s crossbars hold messages both simple and empowering: Independence. Opportunity. Community.
The seat is plastered with photographs of individuals living in North Coast Community Homes (NCCH) residences across Cuyahoga and Summit counties, along with a crayon drawing bearing a sincere “thank you for helping me” note.
The chair is always at the boardroom table, and at every internal meeting and gathering with supporters in this space.
People are “The Why” at this nonprofit housing solutions partner, which provides quality community-based residences and supportive services to foster independence.
“Whenever we have discussions, it always comes back to the residents we all know and care about,” says Chris West, president and CEO. “Everything that comes out of North Coast is about maintaining a person-centered
focus. And while the system has always talked about that, we are really living it in every decision we make.”
Individuals with disabilities who join the NCCH Neighborhood of residents become family to the organization and each other. And because of the organization’s 40 years of providing high-integrity homes that support independence, more than 600 residents are successfully thriving in the community.
“We are really in the people business,” West says matter-of-factly. “We’re constantly asking, ‘What is the best solution to serve our residents?’”
There are many ways to answer this question.
“Our residents all have their own personalities and individualized needs, so
Boardroom chair
we meet them where they are and do everything we can to create an environment where they can reach their potential,” says Nicholas Stroup, director of operations.
Housing is ultimately the NCCH platform. NCCH homes provide an accessible, safe, comfortable foundation where residents can live their best lives with personalized support services to enhance
We are really in the people business. We’re constantly asking,‘What is the best solution to serve our residents?”
– Chris West
their physical, emotional, behavioral and social wellbeing.
Today, NCCH owns or manages nearly 200 properties positioned as the “best house on the street” where residents lease from the nonprofit, building a sense of pride and dignity. The nonprofit’s model is different because it is centered on supportive independence, not merely a place to live.
Its homes are the place to live for a wide spectrum of individuals because every resident, every day, has a seat at the NCCH table.
Breaking Barriers
NCCH was founded 40 years ago in partnership with the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD) in response to a need for community-based homes for individuals with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges so they could live with supported independence.
At the time, the startup nonprofit was a progressive move toward fair, accessible housing for this population. The model bucked a longtime systemic tradition of moving those with developmental disabilities into institutionalized environments that Stroup describes as “not appropriate.” There was an affordability gap in alternative residences.
When an aging parent caring for an adult child relying on county Service and Support Administrator (SSA) assistance could no longer stay in the family home due to diminishing health, illness, death or other circumstances, where would the loved one depending on help go?
NCCH addressed the issue head on. The nonprofit initially was backed with a start-up grant from the Cleveland Foundation, and through the years it has gained support from passionate trustees.
Its acceptance-based community building and bold vision have moved the needle for individuals and their loved ones, parents and guardians. “If we didn’t provide this service and these options for individuals, too many families would continue to struggle to provide homes as they age,” says Neil Gavin, director of sales at Swagelok and NCCH
north coast community homes
Our residents all have their own personalities and individualized needs, so we meet them where they are and do everything we can to
create an environment where they can reach their potential.”
– Nicholas Stroup
board member. Gavin's father, Michael, was a founding board member.
Every NCCH team member shares a passion for helping and feels the difference in their everyday efforts to create a tailored home environment with out-of-the-box solutions that address behavioral needs. For instance, for a resident whose coping strategy was to draw on the wall, rather than assessing fees and repainting it time and again, maintenance staff created a chalkboard wall. A simple fix that served the resident's individual needs.
As the chair’s message reads, “Thank you for helping,” a universal expression among residents. People require different accommo-
dations and NCCH is at the center of listening, learning and connecting the dots.
“Can I call you dad? I don’t have any family, and it would be really nice to call you that,” a North Coast resident told Jemille Cecil, a member of the maintenance staff who is assigned to maintain this home.
These deep connections bloom from trust and care, meeting each individual living in a North Coast home where they are with the modifications, wrap-around support and basic TLC every person deserves.
“Those are the best part of any of our days, when we make these connections and enhance residents’ lives,” Stroup says.
Integrity and Individuality
The homes NCCH provides to residents are fully accessible, accommodating specific residents’ needs and accounting for medical equipment, behavioral health support, and quality of life for everyday activities.
This means that certain modifications, such as ramp entries and a sprinkler system, are found in NCCH homes, a significant extra not found in typical residential environments.
Additionally, it engages its in-house Residential Services Liaison Team with the County Board of DD, direct service provider agencies, families, and guardians. The Residential Services Liaisons is a growing solutions-based staff at NCCH that focuses on developing collaborative communication and productive improvements for the people in the homes. Many individuals living in NCCH homes would have to resort to institutionalized care if it weren’t for the nonprofit’s accessible, high-quality housing solutions in the communities where they have lived for years.
“When you are a parent and have lived with and cared for your adult kids their whole life, you’re worried about them, realizing that at some point, you must entrust their care to someone else. We have empathy and are privileged that families put their trust in North Coast Community Homes to ensure their children have a home beyond their years,” West says.
It’s about people and integrity.
However, some communities misperceive the impact of an NCCH house in the neighborhood. Who will live there? What are their needs? What
if they don’t fit into the existing neighborhood dynamic? Will it reduce our property values? NCCH is committed to building inclusive communities where individuals with disabilities can thrive. The organization has a 40-year history of fulfilling its mission of providing quality homes for people with disabilities.
Quality and optimizing independence are a focus at NCCH.
“With every one of our homes, we ensure it optimizes the resident’s independence while seamlessly blending into the neighborhood. There may be an accessibility ramp to the front door, and we will make it beautiful,” West says. “We just completed a new home renovation with a decking ramp that blends with the exterior, and if you were driving by, you wouldn’t realize it unless you were looking very closely.”
NCCH creates open shared living spaces to improve access. Zero-entry showers and grab bars are likely installed. “It costs about $30,000 to put in a sprinkler system to allow residents an extra seven minutes to get out of a house in case of a fire,” West says. “It doesn’t put out a fire, but as our residents age and some experience mobility concerns, it gives them that extra time. We install this with every house we purchase and renovate.”
These are NCCH standards. Customization expands to personal needs, with input from guardians, SSAs, and the nonprofit’s Residential Service Liaison Team. On every front, the home is personal and a platform for supporting independence and the resident’s ability to thrive.
The reality is these are homes on a street that become soughtafter. NCCH homes improve property values and house great neighbors.
North Coast is very creative,
north coast community homes
thoughtful and willing to push boundaries to investigate opportunities.” – Anne Rapacz Kimmins
“We had a gentleman struggling with some challenging behaviors, and our team was talking and listening to him,” West says. “He loves the Cavs. ‘Can you paint my walls in Cavs colors?’ he asked. Of course, we can! So, we did. From that moment on he has taken such great pride in his house and encourages his roommates to do the same.”
A NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) undercurrent is an inherent challenge for an organization like NCCH. Over the years, the nonprofit has faced challenges in establishing housing for individuals with disabilities. Its committed group of leaders never back down, managing to build a model and platform where current and future residents thrive.
“We align several needs all at once and try to have the best home on the street,” Stroup says. “Simultaneously, we want our homes to look like every other home on the street.
NCCH and our residents are great neighbors, and the whole NIMBY issue gets smothered out quickly, soon after you have a five-minute conversation with residents and staff.”
Creating Pathways to Independence
Living in the present and looking ahead, NCCH is fluid in its strategy and tethered to its mission: people first.
“We’re focused on responsive maintenance to our homes, figuring out how to address any issues within our homes that serve residents proactively and preparing for the future so we can curate the very best environment for them,” Stroup says.
An initiative to construct groupings of tiny homes (less than 500 square feet) with a main house for supportive services will offer an innovative, much-needed option for individuals who can stretch their independence while providing a caring community.
“We are in a couple stages of development and have a state-approved design,” Stroup says.
The typical NCCH model is a home with three to four individuals sharing space and receiving 24/7 support for activities of daily living from a care provider agency.
Another innovative arrangement with CCBDD is the TryTech smart apartments at Cranford Apartments in Lakewood. This integrated building offers short-term leases so individuals can try tools and technologies for mealtime, entertainment, security, wellbeing, self-care and more in their future daily home lives.
It’s immersive in a single building, branching out from NCCH’s traditional community ranch homes for multiple residents. “North Coast is very creative, thoughtful and willing to push boundaries to investigate opportunities,” says
Anne Rapacz Kimmins, senior vice president at PNC Bank and an NCCH board member for over 20 years.
Innovation requires support, understanding and vision. It calls for a team that believes. That’s NCCH. “Everyone at North Coast has residents they know well. Every time our team members talk about them and share stories, they smile,” West says. “That proves what we are doing here makes such a big difference.”
Stroup adds, “Our team stays focused on the work we are here to do.”
The typical NCCH model is a home with three to four individuals sharing space and receiving 24/7 support.
in People Investing
Filling a historic void for resourced housing to accommodate individuals with disabilities is a mission-driven passion for its supporters.
// By Kristen Hampshire
When Anthony HillMcShepard was seeking another way to make a marked impact on the community — to leverage affiliations with organizations he touches and fill a gap — a mentor suggested North Coast Community Homes (NCCH).
Already ingrained in various grassroots nonprofits and service as an Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity member, Hill-McShepard discovered immediate synergies with NCCH.
“How can I change someone’s life?” he asked, and he found the answer when he became an NCCH board member.
Everyone knows someone, somewhere, who could be uplifted by an NCCH home — a family member, friend, neighbor, colleague or acquaintance. As a nonprofit housing specialist for partner organizations founded in conjunction with the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD), NCCH directly addresses housing and support challenges for individuals with disabilities. It’s life-changing work that HillMcShepard is passionate about and feels more people should understand.
“Every community needs a North Coast home,” says Hill-McShepard, a senior territory manager at Integra Life Sciences. “Every community has individuals with developmental disabilities, and NCCH allows them to live independently while giving them the tools and resources to live a happy life. And that is one of the best things. The residents are happy, and just being around them brings you joy.”
NCCH drastically differs from a traditional landlord, housing development corporation or affordable housing entity. NCCH is about creating homes that emphasize supporting independence with customized home modifications,
Every community has individuals with developmental disabilities, and NCCH allows them to live independently while giving them the tools and resources to live a happy life. And that is one of the best things.”
– Anthony Hill-McShepard
a spectrum of residential resources, and wraparound services that address everything from maintenance to behavioral and physical needs.
To this point, Hill-McShepard notes an especially eye-opening moment while visiting several NCCH homes and meeting residents. A gentleman with severe autism was writing on the walls in frustration. “North Coast said, ‘Let’s make it more accommodating for you,’” he says of the team's solution to use chalkboard paint on the wall to allow the individual to self-soothe and reduce damage.
“Let’s make it more accommodating for you” is the core of NCCH and why board members, along with giving individuals, foundation support and volunteers, invest in propelling the mission and advancing the cause. “We provide very nice homes with a high level of quality that are financially accessible, and we engage with residents and their service providers to determine how we can create the best environment possible where they can thrive,” says Neil Gavin, board member and director of sales and operations at Swagelok.
A Visionary Mission
Gavin’s father, Michael, was a founding member and the first board president of NCCH. So he grew up around the organization from the time it started in 1984, seeded by a grant from the Cleveland Foundation. The work of NCCH is personal to Gavin, whose sister has a developmental disability. The family navigated the “what’s next” for her housing question and, fortunate with resources, supported her transition and necessary services to maintain independence.
“There are so many individuals who need a supportive, safe home where they can live so aging loved ones who care for them can have peace of mind,” Gavin says.
Gavin has led the governance committee and is the incoming board chair. “An important aspect of what we do at North Coast is making sure communities understand the need for these homes,” he says. “And, unfortunately in some cases, help people in those communities that might be initially opposed to a ‘shared living environment’ such as ours understand what is really involved so we can make them comfortable with our mission and be an advocate.”
Certainly, over the years, NCCH has confronted some “barriers to entry” that its leadership persistently and passionately works to reverse by explaining “The Why.”
It’s all about people.
And there’s a consistent demand for homes like the supportive environments NCCH provides, Gavin points out. Home by home, NCCH is filling the gap with the help of invested board members and partners who share a desire to reimagine what independent living looks like for those with disabilities and mental health challenges.
north coast community homes
“We need as much housing as required and are positioning ourselves to ramp up and make significant increases to available homes,” Gavin says.
This involves innovating into the future and constantly pushing boundaries on what supportive independent housing looks and feels like. The vision includes exploring “mixed use” in a building integrating NCCH residents and community tenants, and considering how grouping tiny homes (less than 500 square feet) on a property with a main house for supports could provide opportunities for residents who can navigate everyday activities with less support.
“We want to be open to looking at other models and understanding how we can best serve the needs of individuals,” Gavin says. “What we offer is a critical service to those with developmental disabilities, and without North Coast too many families would continue struggling to provide homes for loved ones as they age.”
Because many NCCH residents have needs even beyond support for independent living, the nonprofit aligns with complementary services to provide home goods, furniture, housecleaning, personal hygiene products and deliveries from Greater Cleveland Food Bank and the Alpha Phi Alpha Food Pantry.
We are looking to create that comfort for families.
We aren’t just landlords.”
– Anne Rapacz Kimminst
Creating a True Home
“North Coast and the board’s commitment to the individuals living in the homes — really making it a home for them — is at the core of the mission,” says Anne Rapacz Kimmins, senior vice president at PNC Bank and an NCCH board member for more than 20 years.
Kimmins loves to share its story, connecting colleagues and community members who might benefit from the visionary NCCH mission. Countless times, she has introduced the nonprofit to someone who winds up on a home tour and is then empowered with a solution for a loved one with a disability. “Having community involvement is so important,” she says of why investing in NCCH is critical to health and human services.
What has always struck Kimmins about the organization is its thoughtful, resourceful and always creative approach, which demands a high level of collaboration and partnership.
Because many NCCH residents have needs even beyond support for independent living, the nonprofit aligns with complementary services to provide home goods, furniture, housecleaning, personal hygiene products and deliveries from Greater Cleveland Food Bank and the Alpha Phi Alpha Food Pantry.
NCCH has a resource center called Boundless Journeys, which accepts these basic household and furniture items so residents can establish a safe and comfortable home.
“We are looking to create that comfort for families,” Kimmins says. “We aren’t just landlords. We want to be there to maintain that home, customize that home for the individual who is living there just as if it were our own children — and that is an important point. Whether it’s sprinkler systems in homes or windows that can’t be broken or non-reflective surfaces for a resident with sensory struggles, we work with individuals, families and the county board of DD to make it a place they can really call home.”
Filling Vital Housing Gaps
The Sandra Hoskins Legacy Foundation (SHLF) intentionally seeks out and supports projects that provide quality housing and employment opportunities for individuals with barriers to economic independence.
When Christie Yonkers, executive director, learned about NCCH and its work in the space, she identified a strategic, visionary alignment of their missions.
“North Coast provides not only accessible housing solutions, but also a holistic support system that makes day-to-day expenses affordable and independent living attainable,” says Yonkers, who was introduced to NCCH by Chief Development Officer Jillian Frazier.
“We love that they focus on activities that empower residents to achieve greater independence, community inclusion and improve quality of life,” Yonkers says. “They quickly noticed gaps in services in the existing housing models and got to work bridging those gaps. The passion and commitment of the staff and leadership of NCCH truly sets them apart, from our perspective.”
Like others invested in NCCH, Yonkers says you can see and feel the North Coast Community Homes difference. “It’s the way
staff at every level talk to clients as if they are cared-for family members and celebrate their successes,” she says. “And it’s the way they all care for each other as a team. It is not hierarchical. Everyone is on the same page. We have important work to do, and that work is what matters to all of us.”
SHLF awarded its first grant to NCCH in the fall of 2023, supporting its life-changing work and residents’ ability to sustain an independent lifestyle with the comforts and safety anyone should attain. Yonkers admits surprise at just learning about NCCH and hopes sharing the story will ignite passion in other organizations, nonprofits, communities and individuals who can make a measurable difference in the lives of individuals living with disabilities and their loved ones.
“They are mission-driven,” she says simply. So is SHLF, which was founded by Sandra Hoskins, an occupational therapist who started Legacy Healthcare Services, which under different ownership today, continues offering physical, occupational and speech language pathology services to the aging population. The foundation supports projects focused on quality housing and employment opportunities for individuals who have barriers to economic independence.
“Sandra saw a lot of individuals who were primarily cared for by their parents, and then as their parents aged or became incapacitated or passed away, the adult children who had no real independence beyond their families suddenly did not have appropriate housing option,” Yonkers relates. “They ended up in long-term care facilities or institutional environments,” she continues.
“This is why Sandy was so passionate about this being a population we serve. She wanted to ensure the growing population of individuals with developmental disabilities has appropriate housing and the level of support they need to achieve as much independence as possible.”
The empowering work NCCH has accomplished since 1984, and its trajectory for creating even more housing opportunities for individuals in the future is inspiring. Hill-McShepard says, “NCCH is celebrating 40 years—and it is 40 years ahead in the way they’re making an impact as a housing partner that allows individuals with developmental disabilities to live with supported independence.”
For this reason and beyond, he says as a stakeholder and board member, “This is a forever home for me.”
It’s the way staff at every level talk to clients as if they are cared-for family members and celebrate their successes.” – Christie Yonkers
Supporting Independence, Planning for Tomorrow
Ray and Hope Carr have been raising their children Michael and Mary Ann in a home built especially for them with a ranch layout, wide hallways and space for the medical equipment their two children require to eat, engage and simply do life.
The Akron couple moved to the home when Michael was 22 and Mary Ann was 13½ after battling a tricky floorplan with steps and a historic home that lacked the modern modifications their children needed.
Ray and Hope are now in their seventies. “Where do we turn?” relates Hope. “The house we live in now has everything, including a Hoyer lift and backup generators so the electricity never goes off because of the equipment the kids need, and there is easy access,” Ray says.
The Carr children are diagnosed with microcephaly, which is a birth defect in which a baby’s brain is not properly developed and can result in developmental delay, feeding problems (swallowing), hearing loss, vision impairment and a host of related challenges.
Together, in Familiar Surroundings
Since the earliest days, the Carrs have worked with the Summit County Developmental Disabilities Board, receiving various support and personal care services, along with enlisting in a thoughtfully curated team of professionals for home health care and therapies.
They reached out to the board’s assistant superintendent, Drew Williams, to find out what options
exist for keeping Michael and Mary Ann in their home once they, as parents, reach a time when they move out and can no longer provide the 24/7 hands-on care they’ve been managing for decades.
Williams pulled together some resources, one of which was North Coast Community Homes (NCCH). “We wanted to provide a path forward for the Carrs,” relates Williams, describing a collaborative partnership with NCCH and its president and CEO, Chris West. “Chris met with the family in person, and his ability to listen and support the Carrs through the process gave them peace of mind. I witnessed his empathy and patience during a difficult emotional journey for Ray and Hope.”
The Carrs decided to sell their home to NCCH so Michael and Mary Ann could live there indefinitely while giving the siblings the pride of “ownership” as tenants paying the lease.
Ray says, “They have been together for 24 years here and they can stay in familiar surroundings. North Coast made that all happen, and without that, we’d be lost.”
“Chris met with the family in person, and his ability to listen and support the Carrs through the process gave them peace of mind.”
– Drew Williams
• Alera Group
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Hanna - Pepper Pike
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