INDIANAPOLIS-BASED ORGANIZATION FOSTERS INDEPENDENT LIVING Writer / Julie Yates Photography Provided
What began as a book club for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) has blossomed into a community for individuals who wish to live independently, yet require supportive services. The Village of Merici, located on the old Fort Benjamin Harris campus in Indianapolis, offers residents an affordable place to call home and a program for community integration. It is named after Angela Merici, the patron saint of those with disabilities.
mission. From the start, book clubs were initiated by the parents who realized that since graduation, their adult children had very few interactions with anyone outside their own families. During this time, many different models were investigated and explored. A plan was developed and the Village of Merici opened as a residential facility in 2014.
The focus of the Village of Merici, 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, is the premise that individuals want to live in a community where, with support, they are free to make their own decisions about when and The seed for the organization was planted where they choose to participate in an in 2005 when a group of parents came activity. The founding members felt group together to discuss concerns regarding what homes or institutions were too restrictive, would happen to their children with IDD as the goal was to develop a community when family became unavailable to help due of independence and a network of peer to health problems or death. They wanted to friends. A key component of the concept is provide a structure that was affordable and affordability - most individuals with IDD fostered independence, while providing a work part time and typically find it difficult wide range of support. to pay for housing. The first years of the organization were spent in fact finding and developing a
“We found property at Fort Harrison and worked with Merchants Affordable Housing 34 / GEIST MAGAZINE / AUGUST 2020 / atGeist.com
and TWG Development, who applied for rental housing tax credits through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA),” says Executive Director Colleen Renie. “Most of the apartments are now identified as Housing Choice units through the Indianapolis Housing Agency. We assess the individual’s needs and resources. IHCDA and Merici Village Apartments reviews and verifies the tenant’s income and sets the apartment rates at 30% of the individual’s income.” Village of Merici has been successful in allowing residents to be independent, and today the facility has a waiting list with more than 200 people. Residents represent a wide range of individuals with differing needs, and many individuals who reside elsewhere also take part in the services offered. Most maintain integrated employment that corresponds to their specific interests. Some need 24-hour care for tasks such as showering, dressing and cooking. One resident, Angie, is in her 30s and is active in Special Olympics. She has lived
