The Community Living movement is just that — supporting individuals with developmental challenges in order for them to live successfully within the community. It all adds up to helping individuals live their best lives.
That’s the big-picture objective, said Anne Manley, Manager of Adult Services in the Peterborough-based Community Living Trent Highlands. Founded in 1953, the agency has been helping its clients integrate into their communities and make a positive difference.
“Every person we deal with has some sort of goal or an activity or the ability to speak about their own day and their life and what their goals toward that would look like. It’s really important that the people identify that they’re a contributing member of society when they get out and have goals that you and I would want to do — travel to Mexico, really hard right now, maybe get a job, get their licence, maybe volunteer or be able to participate. It’s really important and really a positive for them to be able to do that.
“We really feel that each person who comes within our agency and the people we support outside our agency are part of the community. They have their dreams, goals, wishes, and desires and the rights that everyone else does. We really do feel that within our agency,” said Manley, whose entire career has been spent on the adult side of Community Living.
Most importantly, Manley wants to bring about a greater understanding that administering to group homes is only one aspect of Peterborough-based Community Living Trent Highlands’ mandate.
“It’s so diverse and we really work with a number partner agencies within the community to ensure that individual’s get the best possible life goals that they can through many different ways than just group homes,” said Manley.
Within the context of group homes, there are semi-independent living, independent living, and life share capacity, she explained.
“You have everybody within a gamut of what their needs are. You want to ensure each person is able to identify in whatever capacity they are able to communicate what they would like to see happen to them,” she said.
The term ‘group home’, she said, casts a somewhat negative shadow to the living arrangement. Manley is determined to change minds and bring some light and positivity surrounding the connotation of group homes.
Although operating within the COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for Community Living Trent Highlands and the individuals it serves, the agency is focused on ensuring the life goals of its clients are being met.
To hear more from Anne about her journey, click the link below.
