Respite Home

ASH is currently working on expanding our services to include out-of- home respite care.  ASH owns a piece of property in Ashland that was recently vacated and is now pursuing funding to make the necessary renovations for wheelchair accessibility and other respite home uses.  This respite home, in keeping with ASH experience and training, will serve the developmentally disabled population.  This is an under-serviced area for this population nationwide and ASH hopes to change that for DD people as well as their caregivers.

This project is beneficial to the DD population because it offers a destination for a vacation or temporary emergency housing that includes:

• Trained and experienced caregivers
• All the activities that Ashland provides
• The safety of supervision.

This is also valuable to the primary caregivers of DD individuals.  If the primary caregiver has a family or medical emergency or needs a vacation, they will have a place for their loved one to go where they will receive proper care and fun activity options.

Respite House News:
Tuesday April 20, 2010 the City of Ashland awarded Ashland Supportive Housing $110,862.00 of the City Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to renovate a vacant house for the purpose of providing respite care. These funds will be used to remove tripping hazards, make the house wheelchair accessible, put in a kitchen, and fix the current plumbing, drainage, and electricity in the house.  This is a vital step in opening the respite house and ASH is grateful for the opportunity to use these funds to extend the scope of the services we provide to the developmentally disabled population.

Recent Envents:
Wednesday, August 18, 2010, the Job Counsel’s Youth Build program partnered with ASH for a day of volunteer work in the yard of what will be the Respite  Home and the Resource Center.   These volunteers labored to remove tripping hazards from the yard and ASH thanks them for contributing to our clients’ safety.  The photos below document their work.

	Most of the tripping hazards the volunteers were removing were old fence post stumps like the one shown here (left).
They arrived.
	After a brief overview of the property, they jumped into their work and did a great job!
This was a collaborative effort; working together they accomplished a lot.
	Thanks for everything! Our yard and our clients safety is much improved because of your efforts here on Wednesday!

ASH hopes to have the site for the respite house prepared and ready for service in the spring of 2011.
Below are some photos of the property before renovation.

	This is the backyard of the Respite House before our landscaping plans have been executed. There are some tripping hazards and highly allergenic plants that we need to replace for the safety and health of our clients. Overall, ASH’s landscaping goal is to create an outdoor environment that is inviting and provides a sense of calm.
Here is a picture of the front yard of the Respite House before any landscaping alterations.  There are some tripping hazards in the front yard as well that ASH will remove prior to opening the doors of the Respite House.  Here, we hope that our clients will enjoy the open space for quiet outdoor activities and relaxation.
	This is the living room of the Respite House before construction.  ASH hopes that the interior remodeling will begin midsummer 2010.  ASH hopes to present this area as a warm and comfortable space where our guests can enjoy a movie, crafts, or each other’s company.

The links below will take you to articles from Time Magazine that describes some of the reasons to make Ashland, Oregon your next vacation destination...

Monday, Mar. 08, 1999
Travel: Ashland, Ore.
By Emily Mitchell and Rebecca Winters; Todd Murphy

Monday, Aug. 04, 1986
Theater: Only 2,500 Miles From Broadway
By William A. Henry III