Developmentally Disabled Services
In the 1970s, largely as a result of increasing media exposure regarding the inhumane treatment of the developmentally disabled, New York State encouraged the establishment of non-institutional homes for people with developmental disabilities. SVS responded to this need by creating five community residences in Brooklyn where 54 profoundly disabled adults, ages 20 through 70+, live in "family style" housing. SVS provides the residents of these facilities with comfortable living conditions, high-quality medical care, and physical therapy. Weekly "life skills" workshops provide residents with skills and support that enable them to care for themselves to the best of their individual abilities, while recreational and cultural outings on weekends allow residents to take part in enjoyable activities with their peers.
SVS is committed to ensuring an optimal quality of life for the residents of our Developmentally Disabled homes. Residents are encouraged to express themselves by choosing their own clothing and room decor, and by engaging with one another, and their families and friends, in a positive, affirming manner. Our residents have come to think of us as family, and in fact many of them have now been living together since they were children or teenagers.
American Dream Youth Excel
Compared to other foster care youth, SVS American Dream graduates:
- Have more education
- Are more likely to be in school currently; and have taken out fewer loans to make this possible
- Are less likely to have ever been homeless
- Work more hours, earn higher wages, have more benefits, and when unemployed are more likely to want and look for work
- Are more likely to have both medical and dental insurance
- Are less likely to be dependent on Medicaid
- Are more likely to own their own homes
- Are more likely to have savings and/or checking accounts
- Are generally more satisfied and more optimistic about the future.
