Frequently Asked Questions:
Sharing some of our most frequently asked questions with you. Hoping this clarifies who we are and how Thrive will operate!
We are a 501(c)(3) corporation whose purpose is to partner with special needs families to provide permanent, safe apartments homes for our residents in a socially enriching environment.
Thrive Living will be located in the Western suburbs of Cleveland. We will choose a location (likely an apartment or condo complex) which is safe, has common areas for our clients to socialize, and has close proximity to working, shopping, dining, and recreation/fitness activities. Access to public transportation will also be a top priority.
Thrive would like to begin operating in late 2024. Our goal by the end of 2023 is to form a strongly focused working group of 4-6 families who desire a similar living situation for their child, and work collaboratively to find Thrive’s first home. This home will likely be apartment homes in a setting that meets our needs.
Thrive believes that all humans are gifts from God. We believe that all people deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and humility. We believe in a person-centered approach, which, for us, means that we will get to know our residents and their strengths, weaknesses, needs, and desires. From there, we will develop a personal development program with them that maximizes choice, independence, and safety in all aspects of their lives. We will be facilitators, not doers. Our team will meet with residents and families on a regular basis to review and update their plan. We want to see our residents GROW as humans and we believe that they CAN!
Our community design is intentional. We understand that staffing shortages and burnout are very high among the home care aide population. Developing a partnership with companies who hire committed, passionate caregivers will be among our highest priorities and greatest challenges. We feel that a community design which involves more residents, staff and family being onsite will give our clients and caregivers a greater sense of support. There is a staffing crisis in the direct service profession, and our children are amongst the most vulnerable of populations. Thrive will oversee and work closely with our partnering agencies to minimize the risk of our adult children having poor quality of care. We have a resident Code of Conduct that will be reviewed with everyone regularly. We have even created a Board position of a Resident Liaison to ensure that your voices are heard and that all decisions are made in the best interest of the clients we are honored to serve. Our Board and our staff will be held to their own Code of Conduct.
Thrive believes in being proactive in promoting wellness in all areas of life. We plan to do many onsite group activities for those who choose to participate. Meal prep, exercise, informative discussions, art, music, dance, and drama are among the activities. Because we will have approximately 10 residents, and up to 4 additional respite guests, we feel that our residents will have a superior life experience compared to adults living in group homes, a typical apartment, or their parent’s home. We understand that many of our clients may not be able to safely drive, ride, walk or roll to places outside of their home easily, therefore, our concept of community will allow for natural socialization without necessarily always having to leave our community.
Thrive Living will charge approximately $800-$1,300 per month as a service fee, in addtion to the cost of the apartment rent. The service fee will cover operating expenses, capital investments, a sustainability fund, and staff (who will be the primary resources and liaisons for our children). Vehicles and transportation staff costs must be considered, as most of our residents will not drive or be able to safely navigate public transportation. Thrive is a privately paid apartment home. We are not part of any government sponsored program.
Thrive is NOT a service provider, meaning that we don’t provide HPC services. We plan to partner with a successful home care company who has dedicated and experience with persons with I/DD. Individuals always have the option to use a provider of their choice for their care.
No. While Thrive will develop appropriate goals for each resident to become as independent as possible in these domains, we will not be responsible for ensuring that these services and appointments are met or kept. Thrive expects families to remain integrally involved in their loved ones’ lives as they transition into this new phase of independence. We will strive to be aware of and support this effort but will not be responsible for the coordination of medical appointments, medication issues, SSA communication, transportation to day programs/work or issues with a day program or work. It is a goal of Thrive Living to eventually be able to take these aspects of care but will not be available initially.
Aside from providing intermittent support and assistance, Thrive staff will be busy with “behind the scenes” duties such as: preparing food for meal prep, tidying common living spaces and apartments, checking on personal care supplies and food supplies, and planning and leading social activities. Our support staff will be expected to relay any pertinent information to families if, for example, if a supply is running low and the family needs to coordinate a refill. Our support staff will truly be our life preservers and the glue that holds everything together. We will rely on their feedback to make adjustments to the amount or style of support to cater to each individual’s needs and goals.
We anticipate that our support staff will be aware of residents’ schedules and be available to do a quick morning “check in” with each resident before they leave in the morning, and again in the evening. Morning check-in will look at things like having their lunch and supplies for the day, wearing appropriate clothes, having clean teeth and brushed hair, etc. Evening check-ins will likely occur inside each apartment and look at things like having tomorrow’s lunch and clothes prepped, and that the resident is assisted with any dinner clean-up. We anticipate that these check-ins will take less than 15 minutes, and we expect the resident and staff to work cooperatively to ensure that this happens every work day.
While we won’t demand the same level of neatness from all residents, we will require that they partake in regular weekly cleaning of their apartment and participate in a rotation of cleaning tasks that keep Thrive in tip-top shape. It is their home and we feel that it should be a place that all residents can take extreme pride and comfort in. This will support the sustainability portion of our mission.
Aside from meeting our resident requirements, a good question to ask is “how much assistance do I give my loved one daily?”. If you:
- Feel comfortable leaving your loved one alone for >4 hours at a time
- Provide reminders and some set-up
- And provide less than 30 minutes a day of true 1:1 care/assistance daily then we would encourage you to begin the application process. If the answer is that you are unsure, please contact us and we can discuss your situation. If you feel that your loved one requires nearly constant supervision or 1:1 care, they are probably not appropriate for Thrive Living.
For example, if your loved one needs assistance with planning/prepping their meals, can follow a schedule, needs someone to check their lunch or a reminder not to forget their glasses, needs some help doing laundry, and assistance 1-2 times a week for certain hygiene tasks like shaving, flossing teeth, clipping nails, etc. they are probably a good candidate.
Thrive plans to offer limited transportation for community-wide events or for emergencies when EMS is not required. Families will likely be asked to assist with transportation from time to time. Individual transportation to work or day programs should be arranged by the resident’s family and paid for privately or by the resident’s waiver. Individual transportation to appointments, shopping, and other activities will be arranged by the resident or their family. In the future, Thrive plans to develop partner companies and/or utilize existing successful transportation companies so that our residents receive high quality, consistent transportation to meet individual needs.
Thrive feels strongly that our future needs to be stable and sustainable. This is what allows parents to rest peacefully. We believe that we can do this through accumulating as little debt as possible, generating revenue, carefully selecting opportunities for growth that serve our mission, and investing in funds that will grow and provide financial sustainability for Thrive.