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“Having a house with my dearest friends is my very biggest dream come true. I have tons of gratitude for all who helped make this dream a reality.”
-Soon to be resident of a
Living Unlimited community
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A NOTE FROM OUR LIVING UNLIMITED
BOARD PRESIDENT
The year 2023 was a time of challenges and milestones for Living Unlimited. An important challenge the Living Unlimited Board of Directors embraced was to improve our focus and messaging to families who desire community-based housing for their I/DD adult children. The lessons we have learned from developing our communities in Cloverdale and Petaluma will continue to guide us as we work on providing additional communities to support this growing population’s housing needs. Experience has been an excellent teacher! The most important lesson we learned we learned is that in order to provide safe, secure, life-long, permanent housing, the solution must be “Parent Driven”. This was the key message of the Living Unlimited presentation at the San Francisco Autism Society conference held at Stanford in October 2023. Parents are an integral part of the process and in partnership with them, Living Unlimited can offer wonderful future lives to residents.
Our community in Cloverdale continues to grow with the addition of the women residents in the “Pink House”. There are only five (5) subscriptions available in Clearwater Ranch Community located minutes from the center of Cloverdale. (to learn more or inquire, CONTACT us).
At Mustang Court Commons in Petaluma, the renovation of the main house is almost complete, and preparations are being made for the residents to move in later this summer. The house in the neighborhood will be occupied by four (4) residents by the end of 2025. Living Unlimited anticipates that the few spots left at Mustang Court Commons will be fully subscribed by the end of 2024. For more information or to schedule a tour, please EMAIL us.
Will you help?
Living Unlimited is managed and operated 100% by volunteers. We are always looking for more help to support our important mission to provide safe and secure homes for I/DD adults where they can thrive and be part of a larger community. Send us an EMAIL for ways to get involved.
Your generous support assists Living Unlimited in creating housing for adults with I/DD. This support allows us to offer affordable residential communities for these adults. If you are seeking a viable housing solution for your adult child or wish to contribute to our mission, please get in touch or make a tax-deductible donation. We are profoundly grateful for your support.
From all of us at Living Unlimited, we wish you a healthy and joy-filled 2024!
With gratitude,
Katie Carney
President, Living Unlimited
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Mustang Court Commons Update
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SAVE THE DATE: GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION OCTOBER 6th, 2024!
From Google:
com·mu·ni·ty
/kəˈmyo͞onədē/
noun
- 1. a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
"the scientific community"
- 2. a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
"the sense of community that organized religion can provide"
Many of our neurodivergent children do not want to be isolated or separated from others. They want to be in the mix, and it is even better if that crowd wants them there too. Society is improving on its acceptance of our special children, but sometimes it is still too much to ask for our children to fit into society’s template and for others to accept our children in their "not quite like others" mold. To this end, and so our children won’t be unhappy and uncomfortable in their lives, we are trying to create stable, long-term housing that will lend itself to a happy and comfortable existence. Not just existence! LIFE!
Mustang Court Commons is the main site of Living Unlimited’s “Clustered Home” model. The objective is that the main site offers amenities and opportunities for those in the neighboring community. It is close to civilization yet far enough away with some buffer so residents can comfortably be themselves. It also offers opportunities and benefits that many other living arrangements for our children just don’t or cannot provide; space to move due to the amazing farm on the site; tools for proprioceptive input (swings, etc.); opportunities for new and inventive ways to develop communication skills (RPM or S2C); and possibilities to create friendships and find companionship.
Community, friendships, full and happy lives. If this seems appealing, send us an EMAIL to arrange a visit.
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Living Unlimited will have a booth at the 4th annual Inclusion Festival in Petaluma. Do come say hello!
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For the last two years, we've welcomed the public, hosting a Farm Day complete with activities and sheep shearing. This year, however, our priority is readying the house for residents. Once residents are on-site, we will organize a public party for MCC and Mustang Acres. The tentative date for our Grand Opening is Sunday, October 6, 2024. In the meantime, don't hesitate to send us an EMAIL; we'd be thrilled to provide a tour before the event.
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Mustang Acres has made strides in farm improvements and community connections since our last update. We're now officially yarn producers! The process involves shearing our sheep and converting the fiber into yarn, which takes about a year. Our 100% wool yarn, certified as Climate Beneficial by Fibershed, is a testament to our commitment to natural fiber systems that contribute to climate stabilization. Our wool production process is simple. The sheep eat our grass, grow wool, and are shorn in the late spring. The fiber is then processed into yarn at the woman-owned Valley Oak Wool Mill. Our sheep also fertilize the soil with organic waste, which grows our grass. We also partnered with Avenue Yarns in Albany to sell our yarn on consignment. The local knitters loved our trunk show, and we've built a fan base in the East Bay. We now also sell pin-drafted roving from our Shetland sheep, GreenEggs & Ham.
We've invested in capital improvements on the farm, thanks to a $6000 grant from Fibershed's 2023 Carbon Farm Seed Fund. This will allow us to implement carbon farming practices such as rotational grazing, mulching, and hedgerow planting.
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Recent improvements include the installation of swales by Nucleus Permaculture Design for water retention and erosion control. We also joined the Land Resilience Partnership of Daily Acts, a nonprofit that promotes water-saving landscape projects. We're thrilled to implement a 'laundry to landscape' greywater system, funded by a grant from the California Department of Water Resources.
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Our farm is also a Certified Wildlife Habitat, recognized by the National Wildlife Federation for its sustainable practices and provision of food, water, and shelter to wildlife. Our journey from a gift of 6 sheep in 2021 to a thriving farm with 11 sheep and a guard llama has been remarkable. We're rehabilitating the soil, recharging groundwater, reintroducing native plants, and producing our own yarn. We're forging ahead with plans to build a resilient community.
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Please consider supporting Mustang Acres. Your donations are tax-deductible and will be put to excellent use for the community, society, and the Earth. For volunteering or Eagle Scout project opportunities, please contact us via EMAIL. Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
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Ah, Sweet Relief! I Invested In My Son's Future!
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I recently gave a deposit to Living Unlimited so my son can live in Petaluma in a “satellite” house near the Mustang Court Commons (MCC) main site. It was a nerve-wracking decision and now that it is done, I feel great!
We all know that change is part of life. Ideally, our kids move out to start a life of their own. For many of us “special parents”, the burden is high. We have more to figure out including where and how our kids will live and how they will receive the necessary care. There is much to worry about … things can go wrong. For many families, the burden falls on the siblings. I am fortunate/not fortunate that my son is an only child. My approach has been to carefully set things up and then, watch and trust.
“Why not just put him into a group home?" a well-meaning friend asked. For my family, however, I am not certain a group home would bring me the kind of long-term peace I am craving. Particularly since my son has no siblings and group homes often lack permanence. I want to feel relief and joy after my son is situated in his new home, knowing that it is permanent, safe and secure but in a less restrictive, more comfortable and desirable environment.
At his next home, my son will be part of the community. In the 4-bedroom home he will have the companionship of 3 other guys, the privacy of his own bedroom, and access to open space. His house is a short walk to the MCC main site and farm which are on a beautiful, serene, bucolic piece of land. Add the sheep and llama Hazel into the picture and it is a piece of heaven! When I sit in a chair there and look out to the hills, my body feels like it lets out a giant sigh and I feel myself relax. The feeling is sumptuous. My son picks up on the vibes too. He seems more regulated and content when we are there.
My investment into the house in the community gives him a spot for life. Plus, Living Unlimited’s model, which is equity-based, means I will own a share. Later, if things change, I can potentially sell the share to another family, or he could move into another Living Unlimited (LU) community.
Trust is vital. I have confidence in the leadership team. I know they will fully consider the residents alongside us parents in their decisions.
At my son's new home, I trust that he will have the opportunity for a good life and he will thrive.
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Clearwater Ranch Community Update
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Clearwater Ranch Community, nestled in the charming small town of Cloverdale in northern Sonoma County, continues to celebrate its community. Our calendar is filled with community gatherings and celebrations.
We're excited to share that one of our four cabins has been recently upgraded and is now home to a local high school biology teacher. The refurbishment of our second house for residents fondly dubbed the Pink House, is also complete. This place proudly opened as our inaugural women's house in June 2023. Two women have made it their home and we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of a third and possibly a fourth resident this year.
We are genuinely excited to share that our third project, the "Yellow House" is currently under renovation with an expected completion by late summer. We envision the young men settling into their new home by early fall.
The progress made in building our community has been deeply gratifying, and we're sincerely looking forward to fostering more community growth in the future.
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Hari Srinivasan's ARTICLE in Time Magazine offers an authentic portrayal of the solitude experienced by individuals with autism living alone. His compelling argument underscores the crucial role of community.
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Podcast on the Living Unlimited Model
Kirsten Howe of Absolute Trust Council in Walnut Creek did a podcast with one of the founders of Living Unlimited. You can check out the podcast HERE.
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Autism Confidential
Jill Escher has done it again. She has created an amazing podcast named Autism Confidential. This podcast is quite informative and helpful for families who have children with higher needs. Check it out - you'll be surprised by how much you'll learn!
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