Apartments designed to provide independence, safety and long-term stability for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are planned in Canton Township.
Members of Independent Living Alliance, a 501 c 3 organization, met June 23 to announce plans to construct an intentional community in Canton.
The catalyst behind the project, a spokesman said, was a group of concerned parents with IDD adult children seeking an inclusive and intentional community where residents will be engaged daily with a positive, caring, and supportive staff, enabling all to live the most fulfilling and enriching lives possible.
"Our engagement with community leaders regarding site selection is a culmination of 3 years of commitment of a small core of dedicated families with IDD adults that have demonstrated unwavering determination to be a change agent and create an intentional community for a very underserved group in our society," said Randy Leslie, chairman of Independent Living Alliance.
The facility will feature 40 one and two-bedroom apartments and will include such amenities as a courtyard, large and small social/activity areas, fitness rooms, and office space. Additional and sometimes hard to find resources, such as staffing and transportation, will be integrated into the community's ongoing operations, Leslie added.
Capital funding for the project is expected from individual donors, along with corporate and private foundations, which also recognize this growing need and want to be a part of this unique and game changing endeavor," he said.
Independent Living Alliance will be governed by a board of directors focused on the ongoing operations and continued fundraising efforts to sustain the community long-term, supporting residents' ever-changing needs along with maintaining and updating social programming, transportation, and other daily essentials.
No location for the planned apartment development was announced. More information about the project is available at www.ilaliving.org.
