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'Forever home' for autistic adults ready for residents in Orleans

Cape Cod Times - 1/3/2020

Jan. 3--ORLEANS -- The first residents of a community for adults with autism will start moving in Jan. 13, as Cape Cod Village received its final certificate of occupancy Thursday.

The moves for the 16 residents will be coordinated and gradual. The first of four four-bedroom houses should be occupied in three to four weeks. All residents are expected to be moved in by April 16.

The village is the brainchild of Bob and Lauren Jones. It is the forever home they have always hoped to provide for their autistic son, Ali.

It was difficult to parent a child with severe autism, Bob Jones said. It was painful to witness his son's isolation from the school and community. It was only when his son started attending the Higashi School in Boston that the family found a community in common. "He had a community and we had friends," Jones said.

Ali blossomed. The Joneses found a group of parents concerned about setting up forever homes for their own adult children.

Ali aged out of the system when he turned 22. He went to live in a group home, a model Jones calls isolating for staff and residents.

In 2011 the Joneses started meeting with a group of like-minded people. How could they provide for their severely disabled children? How could they assure that they'd be taken care of when they were no longer around? The group discussed possibilities. They met and planned, ran into roadblocks and kept moving forward.

The group raised about $1.5 million from private donors and $1 million from six Cape towns. Orleans gave $450,000 in Community Preservation Act funds.

"The town of Orleans has worked with us all the way," Jones said. "They have been fantastic."

In 2013 the Joneses bought the land on Childs Homestead Road. A part-time administrative assistant was hired, then a part-time executive director.

They met with architects and builders. Brown Lindquist Fenuccio & Raber designed the houses and Delphi Construction brought the project in on time and on budget.

All of the homes have been designed to accommodate those who struggle with sensory integration, as many on the severe end of the autism spectrum do.

Special Sheetrock was used in the construction. Floors and walls dampen reverberations and sounds that can be disturbing to someone with autism. Even the layout of the rooms is designed to minimize sound transmission.

All lights are LED. They do not flicker as fluorescent and incandescent lights tend to do.

The windows are as large and plentiful as the budget allowed because individuals with autism do better in natural light.

An entryway has four cubicles for boots, shoes and coats for each resident. A family room sits off the entryway for private visits. A wide hallway leads to a kitchen, dining room and living room. A staff office with tempered glass door and window has sight lines to the shared living space.

Heavy-duty cabinets line the kitchen wall, and the oven has a convection range with a built-in safety device. "There's no worry about burns," Jones said.

Another wide hallway leads to the wing where four bedrooms and two bathrooms are located. Each large bathroom is handicap accessible with a walk-in shower.

Every room has its own heating and air-conditioning unit, and its own password-protected controls.

The color palette is relaxing throughout the homes with pale bluish-green colors predominant.

The floor plan in each of the houses is identical. Staff and residents can move from one house to another without disruption.

"Inclusion and integration are two words we use," Jones said.

Residents will be integrated into the community. And the community will be welcomed into Cape Cod Village through events held at the resource center and volunteer opportunities.

A walking trail skirts the 4-acre parcel, and the village is close to the center of town and the Cape Cod Rail Trail. Residents will go off-site for doctors' visits and whatever else they need.

Jones credits persistence, grit, a group of dedicated and generous volunteers and the support of the community for the success of Cape Cod Village.

"It's not all about money," he said. "It's about goodwill, too."

Follow Denise Coffey on Twitter: @DeniseCoffeyCCT.

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