"We Dig Chapel Haven" Groundbreaking Set For Friday, Sept. 15, Marks Major Milestone
NEW HAVEN, Conn., Sept. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- At a time when few agencies have ventured into serving adults with disabilities into their senior years, Chapel Haven is breaking ground on a major campus expansion to do just that.
Chapel Haven, joined by New Haven Mayor Toni Harp, State Comptroller Kevin Lembo and more than 100 families and friends, will celebrate the start of a multi-year campus expansion on Friday, September 15, 2017, 1 p.m. in an outdoor ceremony at Chapel Haven, 1040 Whalley Avenue, New Haven, CT. More details about the campus expansion are available here: https://www.chapelhaven.org/2017/07/25/chapel-havens-campus-expansion-well-received-family-day-brunch/
Chapel Haven was a pioneer when the agency was founded by two families on Chapel Street in New Haven in 1972, to help adults with disabilities move away from the protective wings of their parents and into a more independent, adult lifestyle. Fast forward 45 years and Chapel Haven has broken ground on a campus expansion that promises to be a national model in accommodating the changing needs of adults with disabilities as they age.
Dr. Fred Volkmar, a Chapel Haven board member and an internationally renowned expert in autism as the Irving B. Harris Professor at the Yale Child Study Center, said Chapel Haven is at the forefront.
"With earlier detection and treatment, many individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders are doing better overall, but often need continued support as they enter adulthood," Dr. Volkmar said. "Chapel Haven has been a leader in providing such support to students interested in going on to college and adult independence. It is one of the few programs around the country to offer comprehensive support for individuals and their families."
Phase One of the project consists of construction of three new buildings, including a new, 32,500 SF building to house the REACH program, where adults with developmental and social disabilities learn independent living, a welcome center, and a new, universally designed facility allowing those with significant life skills and medical oversight needs the ability to remain living among friends in a community they call home.
"I am so proud of Chapel Haven's founding in 1972. We were the first agency of our kind to champion the idea that adults with disabilities can gain independence and live happy, productive lives," said Michael Storz, President of Chapel Haven. "With the expert help of our architectural and building team from SLAM, we are ready to write the next 45 years of our history and to become a pioneer once again in assuring high quality of life through the life span."
The project is being designed by S/L/A/M Collaborative & S/L/A/M Construction Services and owner's representative Leland Torrence.
ABOUT CHAPEL HAVEN
Founded in 1972 in a house on Chapel Street, New Haven, CT, Chapel Haven is a nationally accredited transitional living program and approved private special education school with a mission of teaching adults with cognitive disabilities and social disabilities to live independent and productive lives. Chapel Haven has grown to serve more than 250 adults (18 years of age and older) in the residence and the community with three distinct programs; REACH, Asperger's Syndrome Adult Transition (ASAT), and Chapel Haven West (Tucson, AZ). Read more at www.chapelhaven.org.
SOURCE Chapel Haven
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