Community-based housing opportunities for adults with disabilities can be hard to find. Join us on November 20th as we discuss community-based housing solutions. Our guest, Bill Meltzer, will share lessons he has learned as a member of The Housing Initiative, a parent-driven initiative to create an affordable and inclusive housing solution for individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) in Allentown, PA. The Housing Initiative has created a plan for an inclusive apartment building. Their building project is now underway, and will offer affordable community-based housing opportunities to adults with and without disabilities. Check out news about the project here and here.
About our presenter:
Bill and his wife of 39 years, Anne Marie Dolinish-Meltzer, have three adult children and a grandson. Their oldest son has Down syndrome. Bill has been engaged in advocacy activities for people with disabilities since 1999, when he co-founded the Eastern Pennsylvania Down Syndrome Center (EPDSC), a non-profit 501(c)3, whose mission is to provide medical evaluations for individuals with Down syndrome in a family centered environment.
Bill also has experience as a Special Olympics basketball coach, Pantry manager and Board member for the Whitehall Coplay Huger Initiative, and Board member for Alliance for Building Communities (ABC), a local non-profit whose mission is to create community partnerships dedicated to revitalizing neighborhoods by developing safe and affordable housing that fosters independent living and enhances quality of life for seniors and families.
Bill provided this background on the Housing Initiative:
“As with many grass roots initiatives, it began when our children were born. As you are likely aware, advocacy does not come without obstacles. We advocated for their education in a classroom with their peers. We helped develop a three-year post-secondary education program at East Stroudsburg University. We advocated for their inclusion in the community, and we advocated for competitive employment. But have you ever wondered where your son or daughter would live when they become an adult? These issues and questions are hard enough for our “typical” children. But what about those that have an intellectual disability?
In September of 2014, the Eastern Pa Down Syndrome Center charged a small group of parents to come up with a creative living option that would allow our adults with intellectual disabilities to live independently in their community. This group along with others from the autism community came to be known as The Housing Initiative or THI.”