From the San Francisco Chronicle:

California is closing the Agnews Developmental Center in San Jose, a state institution that has housed people with developmental disabilities for more than a century. The closing marks the culmination of a five-year plan, and is said to be the most innovative institutional closure ever implemented in the nation. Residents are being moved to homes financed with state bond money around the Bay area.

“This is historic,” says Julia Mullen, deputy director of community services for the California Department of Developmental Services. “This is a landmark occurrence that is enabling vulnerable people to live their lives in the community as a typical resident of the state.”

… Even with around-the-clock care in the new homes that includes chefs preparing organic meals, state officials say this form of housing is less expensive - it costs $288,000 a year on average for a resident at a state-run institution in California; in the community, it will eventually cost about $40,000 less a year.

A slideshow tracks the journey of Sandra Serpa (above, with brother Tony) from institutional living to a home of her own.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 7th, 2008 at 3:47 pm and is filed under NOT2BEMISSED, independent living, institutionalization, intellectual/developmental disabilities, quality of life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post