Published: June 29, 2009 02:01 am      

LOCKPORT: Group homes fight stigma

Every morning, Harvey Etheridge gets up early to go to work. His shift at Bon-Ton begins at 6 a.m., so he has to be up by 5 a.m. to get there on time.

“Sometimes I walk, and sometimes I ride my bike,” he said.

Harvey, who is developmentally disabled, lives at one of several residences supported by Opportunities Unlimited of Niagara, the county’s chapter of NYSARC and its largest not-for-profit agency.

He lives in a home on Glendale Drive with seven other program participants, each one developmentally disabled and striving to live an independent lifestyle.

After his shift at Bon-Ton, Harvey comes home and begins the rest of his day. For him, the options are wide open.

“Sometimes I go bowling, or (play) baseball,” Harvey said.

“He has freedom to himself,” Raul Scott, the site supervisor at Harvey’s home, said. “He does what you and I would do, when we get home. ... He gets out in the community.”

Harvey and his fellow residents are working hard to live their lives and improve the community around them — fighting against some unfortunate stigmas along the way, Scott said.

“People think of ‘disabled’ and immediately tag them with a mental (deficiency),” he said. “These are individuals that are bright. They want to experience life. There’s a lot that they can do, and it’s a blessing to have them around.”

Stigmas

The words “group home” have been in the public’s subconscious lately, after the death June 8 of Renee Greco, a youth counselor at a group home for troubled teens in the City of Lockport.

Avenue House, where Greco worked, was under the auspices of New Directions Youth & Family Services, part of the state Office of Children and Family Services.

Two residents of Avenue House were charged with Greco’s murder.

Staff at Opportunities Unlimited say they were devastated to hear of Greco’s death.

Roxane Albond-Buchner, manager of communications for Opportunities Unlimited, said homes like the ones on Glendale are different from homes like Avenue House, where teens are often mandated to live by court order.

“The one difference is the fact that everyone is here by choice,” she said.

Misconceptions about group homes — and about the developmentally disabled — have created obstacles for Opportunities Unlimited in the past, said Peter Drew, the agency’s chief operating officer.

“We’ve had problems opening group homes in North Tonawanda and in Wheatfield,” he said. “For both of those homes, the neighbors really hadn’t had much (experience) ... they just didn’t know what to expect.”

Program manager Don Calahan said they often have to battle an “unfortunate stigma,” especially after incidents like the one at Avenue House.

“We see depictions of the developmentally disabled individuals, depictions on TV ... you see them act violently. That’s what’s attached to our residents,” he said. “The general public doesn’t realize. Even after they’re being told that (Avenue House) was for boys, they’re going to group it together with (our home).”

When the home in North Tonawanda opened in 2003, after the neighbors had expressed doubts, Opportunities Unlimited held an open house for neighbors.

“We had the ribbon-cutting, and they all came,” Albond-Buchner said. “Now, they bring food at Christmas. One neighbor holds a picnic for everyone. There’s neighborhood involvement, because we broke down doors. A developmental disability is not contagious.”

Helping the community

On June 16, Harvey was sitting in the front yard, enjoying the weather, when he saw a small child fall from a second-story window across the street.

The 2-year-old boy had been playing with a sibling in front of an open window when he fell backwards, landing on his backside in the grass.

Harvey sprang to action.

“I ran right over there,” he recalled.

Residential Caregiver LaToya Dortch followed. Dortch, who had been inside the living room, had also seen the child fall, and she dialed 911 as she ran.

When they got to the child, he was awake and crying.

“I think the wind was knocked out of him, because he was crying but not as loud as you’d expect him to,” Dortch said.

Harvey picked up the child and brought him inside to his mother. Dortch handed the phone to the mother, and soon the ambulances had arrived to take the child to Women’s and Children’s Hospital for evaluation.

The staff at Opportunities Unlimited say they’re proud of Harvey for his quick thinking.

“Harvey did a wonderful thing,” said Charlotte Cunningham, director of residential and support services for the Eastern region.

She said the incident is one of many that illustrates how the residences blend in with the neighborhoods around them.

“We’re good neighbors, too,” she said. “We watch out for the people in the neighborhood, and they watch out for us.”

There are about 20 community-based homes scattered throughout the county, with close to 160 residents at a time.

The homes have many levels of care, for residents with different needs

Many residents have jobs outside their homes. They volunteer at nursing homes, in hospitals, at the SPCA and other organizations.

The residents choose their own activities.

“They do what they’re interested in,” Scott said. “We say they volunteer, and we really mean ‘volunteer.’ ”

“They’re very busy,” Albond-Buchner said. Residents participate in countywide and national fundraisers, like the Relay For Life, she added.

They also travel to Albany at least once a year to speak with lawmakers about how to make the programs better.

“These guys made decisions and advocate for themselves,” Drew said. “They make the residence run.”

Albond-Buchner said before residents are placed in a home, they often do interviews and look at different facilities before picking the best one.

“We try to find the best fit,” she said. “We put the puzzle pieces all together and find the answer for the individual.”