Making Home Happen NEO nonprofit builds community and independence for people with disabilities Why Residents Feel Welcome
Building on the
FOUNDATION North Coast Community Homes is building on its prior success to plan the next path forward. // By Chrissy Kadleck
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rom its first purchase in 1986 to today’s portfolio of more than 200 homes and growing, so much has changed in the four decades North Coast Community Homes (NCCH) has been developing and preserving safe, high-quality homes for those with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges. “Before NCCH, most of our residents would be living in [one of] two places — either in an institution or with their families,” says Chris West, president. “Back in the ’60s and ’70s, people started to question the viability of institutions, and had concerns because of deplorable conditions.” 2 NORTH COAST COMMUNITY HOMES / 2023
NCCH entered the scene in 1984 as a nonprofit created through a partnership with Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities and the Federation for Community Planning. Since then, under the initial leadership of founding CEO Steve McPeake and a dedicated board, NCCH has grown to include 200 homes across five counties. These residences have allowed individuals with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges to leave institutions and their parents’ homes to embark on a life of supported independence as part of a community. Everyone with a developmental disability or mental health challenge deserves a place
to call home where they can lead lives of dignity, self-expression and connection, West says. And that is what NCCH provides. Like all people, the profiles of individuals in the NCCH community are all unique and have a spectrum of needs, wants and abilities. “We’re here to serve everybody and allow everybody to live in a home in the community.” West relates one of his favorite stories, in which he met some NCCH residents with whom he had a lot in common: “One had a ‘Star Wars’ shirt on, and I’m thinking, ‘Yeah, I love Star Wars,’ so I’m right with him. The other guy was sitting there watching ‘The Price is Right,’ his favorite show,
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“As I and others joined the organization, a new vision developed looking for what else we can do to help our residents beyond just the brick-andmortar and being a landlord.” // Chris West and I’m thinking, ‘Yeah, that’s my favorite show.’ Then I went over and talked to this other guy who had on an Indians hat, and we were talking about the Browns … I have a lot of stories like that,” says West, who has led the organization for the last five years. Since West has taken the helm, the focus has broadened from just the physical assets of the organization to a more resident-centric approach. “We really have taken the next step, and our entire focus is on our residents and how North Coast Community Homes can help them,” he says. North Coast Community Homes not only provides affordable, accessible housing solutions for Northeast Ohioans, but its Residential Services Program takes the next step to provide a holistic support system and make day-to-day expenses affordable and independent living attainable. The goal is to enable the residents to share in the cost of the house, get consistent support services and better quality of life in their independent living journey. The NCCH team members work with various direct service providers (DSP), residents, their families and the county agency to develop connections, interventions and solutions to benefit the entire system. Through the Residential Services Program, NCCH has connected with the local Food Bank to supply many of its homes with monthly food deliveries. In addition, NCCH is working with a local fraternity that has a pantry to provide eight homes with monthly supplies. NCCH has also developed a donation program for collecting like new furniture and home goods to assist residents many of whom are low-income. “Things like that have never happened at North Coast before,” West says of the new initiatives. “As I and others joined the organization, a new vision developed, looking for what else we can do to help our residents beyond just the brick-and-mortar and being a landlord. We are focused on quality of life
and being collaborative. We want to help the system thrive.” While the typical NCCH residence is a three- to four-bedroom ranch that houses three to four non-related individuals with DSP staff on-site 24/7, West says the organization is exploring new concepts. One of those projects is a “tiny home” concept currently in consideration for a local suburb. The tiny home is an additional living unit that will be on the property of an existing NCCH home where three residents live and have DSP staff. The tiny home could be an ideal concept for a highly functioning individual who is able to live independently with minimal support. The residential needs of those with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges will continue to grow and housing models will evolve in Northeast Ohio. Housing is a basic, human need and West says many individuals still live with their aging family members. “As an organization, we’re trying to figure out how we get in front of them and offer them what they need,” he says.
NCCH works to find the best possible properties in neighborhoods throughout Northeast Ohio that can accommodate or be modified to meet the specific needs of individuals with disabilities. Houses are customized with fire safety systems, ramps, lifts, barrier-free showers and other accommodations to ensure safety, comfort and maximum independence. NCCH also offers consulting services to help families determine what accommodations they might need in their homes, and guide them through the remodeling process. “We have a crew of expert remodeling staff that actually do the work,” West adds.
Houses are customized with modifications such as fire safety systems, ramps, lifts, barrier-free showers and other accommodations to ensure safety, comfort and maximum independence.
ncch.org / NORTH COAST COMMUNITY HOMES 3
Moving BEYOND Disabilities As North Coast Community Homes gets ready to celebrate its 40th year of service, it’s easy to see the difference its programs have made in the community. // By Chrissy Kadleck
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fter years of being seen as only a landlord in its relationship with people with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges, North Coast Community Homes (NCCH) has broadened its brick-andmortar reputation. By leveraging its four decades of experience, NCCH has become a resource and thought leader on alternative housing models that challenge the limits for enhanced 4 NORTH COAST COMMUNITY HOMES / 2023
independence and autonomy for those living with disabilities. In its early years, the organization focused on paving the way for those with developmental disabilities to live in residential neighborhoods rather than in institutions or with family members. Single-family homes where individuals share the space and rent, supported by a direct service provider, were the primary focus of NCCH, and that model has been successful.
Melanie Rak, chief program officer with the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (Cuyahoga DD), says NCCH has been an incredible partner through the years — purchasing and renovating homes in the community for people with developmental disabilities. “We’re grateful for North Coast Community Homes and our longstanding partnership,” she says. “They really helped us get a lot of people out of institutions and into the community.”
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While the single-family home model has worked exceptionally well, many families in Cuyahoga County, which includes the largest population NCCH serves, have been looking for additional options. In response, NCCH has developed several new housing model options in its service area. NCCH purchased and adapted a quadplex apartment building in the Gordon Square neighborhood. These single-bedroom apartments are designed to serve higher-functioning individuals with greater independence. Assistive technology, safety monitoring systems and drop-in support services ensure residents’ safety and well-being. In February 2022, NCCH in partnership with Cuyahoga DD opened its innovative TryTech Apartments in Lakewood. The organization bought and retrofitted a 100-year-old, multi-tenant building for accessibility and technology supports. The four first-floor apartments in the building are available for Cuyahoga DD to offer to individuals to try independent living with the support of assistive technology. The other 10 apartments are market rentals making this building an integrated, inclusive community. The TryTech concept allows residents to live in these apartments for three weeks at a time, during which they can use all the assistive technology and modifications to see firsthand what works for them. This helps them know what technology supports to invest in for their long-term residences. Some of the assistive technology includes fully accessible living spaces with voice-activated monitoring, locking mechanisms, touchless faucets, ventless combination washer-dryer units, safety shut-offs for stoves, solar-powered blinds that work through voice commands or remote, barn doors for easy sliding functionality, wheelchair-accessible bathrooms with a wide turn radius and barrier-free showers. “We knew that there were already places where people could see technology, but their families and their parents still just weren’t
“We’re grateful for North Coast Community Homes and our longstanding partnership. They really helped us get a lot of people out of institutions and into the community.” // Melanie Rak feeling confident that individuals could use technology or specific assistive devices and help them live more independently,” Rak says. “We thought of this ‘try-it-before-youbuy-it’ model.” The building location was thoughtfully considered, too. “We wanted to launch the TryTech program in an integrative setting — not just an apartment where only people with disabilities live, but in a community that was near a bus line that had a lot of amenities,” Rak notes, adding that the location offers walkability and easy access to restaurants, shops, churches and more. Since its opening, more than 20 people have stayed at the TryTech apartments, and the results have been encouraging. “We’ve had several people gain that confidence, and even their families gain the confidence, in their ability to live somewhere more independently,” Rak says. This year, NCCH and Cuyahoga DD collaborated on a youth, small-group residential project targeting younger individuals with more complex support needs. This home will support up to six individuals between the ages of 12 and 17, offering residential and therapeutic services. The youth residential home will be unlike any other in the area. “North Coast Community Homes has again been very creative, very open-minded to do something with us that’s a little bit different than what they’ve done in the past,” Rak says of the project. “And that’s what we greatly appreciate about partnering with them.” Later this year, NCCH and Cuyahoga DD are again teaming up to build a first “tiny home” adjacent to a current NCCH property. The
NCCH has become a resource and thought leader on alternative housing models that challenge the limits for enhanced independence and autonomy for those living with disabilities.
240-square-foot, one-floor home will be designed with a fully accessible, barrier-free bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. The tiny house concept allows people with disabilities to live independently while highlighting the fact that a home doesn’t need to have a big footprint. In addition to these new programs, NCCH regularly offers consulting services to help find the best solutions for individuals who have limits or comfort barriers in their dayto-day living. ncch.org / NORTH COAST COMMUNITY HOMES 5
People Making a
DIFFERENCE North Coast Community Homes supporters are drawn to help the organization for personal reasons. // By Chrissy Kadleck
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or North Coast Community Homes (NCCH), an organization and mission close to his heart, Sean O’Donnell regularly goes the extra mile. Even beyond his role as finance chair for the organization’s Board of Trustees, O’Donnell and a team of 28 family members, friends and coworkers logged many collective miles participating in NCCH’s Race You Home fundraiser at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo this past August. The team from O’Donnell-LLK Greenhouse Solutions, where O’Donnell is vice president and partner, represented about 10% of the racers who converged at the zoo to show their support and raise awareness for NCCH. “It was a great event that enables everybody, from infants in strollers to disabled individuals, to participate,” O’Donnell says. The event aims to increase awareness about developmental disabilities and mental health challenges in our community. O’Donnell says this mission is near and dear to him. “I have some friends that deal with either developmental disabilities or mental health challenges and have family members that have
6 NORTH COAST COMMUNITY HOMES / 2023
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“I see how dedicated they are to “Our providing each individual with the goal is to ability to live independently while provide a providing their family members with physical comfort and knowing their loved ones home that’s can live independently in a safe environment.” based on caring. It’s // Sean O’Donnell based on dignity, it’s those challenges as well,” says O’Donnell, who dignity, it’s based on loving these folks because based on loving these joined the board in 2020 after learning about they’re just like you and me — they just have folks because they’re NCCH’s mission of developing and preserving some challenges that a lot of us don’t have.” safe, high-quality homes where individuals The board’s mission is to ensure the organijust like you and me living with developmental and mental health zation is sustainable and can grow and evolve challenges can lead a life of dignity. as it strives to meet the growing demand for — they just have some “It just immediately resonated with me safe and supported independent homes and and I’ve seen firsthand the struggle that these services throughout Northeast Ohio. challenges that a lot of individuals face,” he says. “Now that I’ve been “Whether that’s fundraising, whether that’s with [NCCH] for three years, I see how ded- awareness, whether that’s legislation — any us don’t have.” icated they are to providing each individual with the ability to live independently while providing their family members with the comfort of knowing their loved ones can live independently in a safe environment.” That peace of mind meant the world to O’Donnell’s aunt and uncle, who had struggled to find a suitable independent living solution for their adult son, who had cerebral palsy. “These solutions are a challenge to find across the country,” O’Donnell says, adding that pushing back against the stigma that individuals with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges face is important to him. Dennis Burnside, board chair and executive managing director for Vestian in Cleveland, joined the NCCH board after meeting founder Steve McPeake in 2000 as part of Leadership Cleveland. McPeake’s passion was contagious, Burnside says, especially when he explained the worries parents carry about who will take care of their children when they no longer can. “That struck me and tugged at my heartstrings,” says Burnside, who has served on the board for close to 20 years. Burnside believes NCCH’s biggest challenge is awareness. “We are the best-kept secret in Ohio, and our biggest challenge as an organization, I believe, is making people aware of who we are,” he says. “Our goal is to provide a physical home that’s based on caring, it’s based on
number of things to help the organization thrive and sustain itself — our board steps up,” Burnside says. “We’ve grown both in terms of number of residents and homes we facilitate. So there is a steady trend upward in terms of people who we serve.” Jan Gusich, vice chair of the Board of Trustees, founder and senior strategist of Akhia Communications, has always had an innate interest in the care of vulnerable populations. Since 18, she has been involved with organizations that serve those with developmental disabilities. That involvement eventually led her to NCCH about 15 years ago. “It was just sort of a natural fit for me to join the board, because it’s something I had a passion and a love for my whole life,” she says. “At NCCH we provide homes for people with developmental disabilities, but we go way beyond just providing the home. It’s really about meeting the individual needs of each person who lives in our home. Everyone is different,
// Dennis Burnside and they each require different amenities and services to improve the quality of their lives.” Some may be in wheelchairs, for example, and may need their home to be designed with that in mind. Some individuals are highly physical and may need reinforced furniture and walls. Others may have their own personal passions like gardening, for instance, and NCCH will create a garden for them. “We make sure that that home fits the person’s individual needs. The focus is, ‘How else can we enhance and improve your independence and your quality of life?’” she says. “This organization in particular really cares about the population that they serve, and people are so passionate about it. That’s what keeps me involved in the organization. They’re really good, nice, kind-hearted people who want to serve this community.”
“Everyone is different, and they each require different amenities and services to improve the quality of their lives.” // Jan Gusich ncch.org / NORTH COAST COMMUNITY HOMES 7
Inside Impact Resident-focused
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NCCH is a dedicated team with an unwavering passion. Your generosity fuels our mission and financially supports the operations of our 200 homes and impacts the lives of over 600 residents. NCCH exists to serve individuals with disabilities and mental health challenges by providing housing resources. Be a part of progress and innovation to provide stable, safe and supportive housing.
Learn More. Visit NCCH.ORG
14221 Broadway Ave., Cleveland, OH 44125 • (216) 662-1880 • NCCH.ORG 8 NORTH COAST COMMUNITY HOMES / 2023