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UER Forum > Archived US: Mid-Atlantic > Hotel’s end is first step toward compassionate community (Viewed 915 times)
PorkChopExpress 


Location: Pled's Pig Farm, Virginia
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Hotel’s end is first step toward compassionate community
< on 11/24/2009 7:14 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Hotel’s end is first step toward compassionate community
By Katherine Calos
Published: November 24, 2009


When the stairs came tumbling down at the old Executive Hotel yesterday, it was a first step toward a new future for young adults with autism.

Demolition of the West Broad Street hotel will make room to build the Faison Compassionate Community, an integrated residence with rental units for developmentally disabled adults and for people in helping professions.

The back of the former hotel is across the street from the Faison School for Autism at 1701 Byrd Ave., just west of the Shops at Willow Lawn shopping center. The school's Life Skills and Employment program will prepare students to live in the Faison Compassionate Community, where they will have a protected home base as they work at jobs and become part of a neighborhood.

"The idea is that we have individuals with developmental disabilities that are functioning at a high enough level to live on their own, with some assistance, and we have them live with nondisabled residents," said Wendy Kreuter, vice president for operations and finance at the Faison Centers for Excellence. The Faison School for Autism recently purchased and renovated the Byrd Avenue building to serve students from ages 2 to 22.

Alan Kirshner, one of the co-founders of the school, recalled a time in the 1960s when the hotel "was probably the leading thing in the West End." It had fallen into disrepair and become an eyesore before the school bought it in 2007, he said.

Bruce A. Kay, a vice president at Markel Corp., said the search is on for $3 million to $4 million to complete the new building. "There is money for projects," he said, "You just have to look twice as hard."

In the new vision for the property, more than half of the residents will be people who work in professions such as nursing or teaching -- "people of the mind to live in a community like this and understand the folks they are living with," Kreuter said. About 25 percent to 30 percent of residents will be developmentally disabled people who may live alone, in a group or with assistance, depending on individual needs.

"It's an extension of our services at the Faison School," Kreuter said. "We know if we take the same philosophy and apply it to residents in a living program, it could be very successful for residents and their families."

As a demolition machine clawed at balconies and metal stairs, Lynne Faison said she could see a potential home there for her 18-year-old daughter, Brittany, who has autism.

The Faison family originally started the school to give wider application to methods they had used successfully with Brittany at home. The school's data-driven program has attracted researchers from Virginia Commonwealth and Johns Hopkins universities, among others.

"We would love her to" live there, Faison said. "That's the biggest worry of any parent of a special-needs kid -- what to do when I'm not here."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Contact Katherine Calos at (804) 649-6433 or [email protected]


http://www2.timesd...123-221804/307550/

"Deep in the human psyche there lies the need to believe in something fantastic, something powerful, something unknown."

"Touch what you cannot solve, and return to me. I'll give you hints, and I'll give you three..." Zork Nemesis "I eat asbestos and piss PCBs."
/-/ooligan 


Location: Las Vegas area
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Re: Hotel’s end is first step toward compassionate community
<Reply # 1 on 11/24/2009 9:16 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by PorkChopExpress
Hotel’s end is first step toward compassionate community
By Katherine Calos
Published: November 24, 2009


In the new vision for the property, more than half of the residents will be people who work in professions such as nursing or teaching -- "people of the mind to live in a community like this and understand the folks they are living with," Kreuter said. About 25 percent to 30 percent of residents will be developmentally disabled people who may live alone, in a group or with assistance, depending on individual needs.



Oh, so all nurses or teachers are "compassionate" and will be "understanding" if the autistic residents cause special problems at 3AM? Hookers & bartenders seem to be compassionate and understanding too! What wasn't mentioned is whether or not their rents will be subsidized in order to encourage them to live there.

Let's have the Faison group educate us all by making a list of all occupations that are compassionate & understanding, and then another list so we can see who isn't compassionate or understanding, based on their occupation...


I suppose if a 'group home' were to try to move in next door to me, I could try to fight their plans by arguing that my neighborhood is NOT comprised of teachers, nurses, etc. and thus it is not the appropriate community for a group home to be placed in.


The Faison School people sound like a great group. I looked 'em up on the web & they are a non-profit organization, but the article reeks of inane political-correctness.





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PorkChopExpress 


Location: Pled's Pig Farm, Virginia
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Re: Hotel’s end is first step toward compassionate community
<Reply # 2 on 11/24/2009 7:44 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by /-/ooligan


The Faison School people sound like a great group. I looked 'em up on the web & they are a non-profit organization, but the article reeks of inane political-correctness.






I agree 100%.


I also feel that they should have chosen a different location. Not because it is an abandoned hotel, nor the neighborhood, but the building itself. It really isn't suitable for a special needs home. I believe they are going to run into some serious problems.

"Deep in the human psyche there lies the need to believe in something fantastic, something powerful, something unknown."

"Touch what you cannot solve, and return to me. I'll give you hints, and I'll give you three..." Zork Nemesis "I eat asbestos and piss PCBs."
Master SG 


Location: Memphis, TN


Get dancing or you're fired!

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Re: Hotel’s end is first step toward compassionate community
<Reply # 3 on 2/8/2010 5:33 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Man I used to live in this old Queen Anne type apartment house that was the biggest one on the block. You know, one of those like in the movie "Fight Club". Well the rent was cheap and the neighborhood included police and fire precincts so it was noisy 24/7. Well one morning some dude knocks at my back door all throwing shapes and telling me we've got to hold the noise down, he's trying to run a halfway home, etc. I just don't understand why they locate these places in areas that really aren't zoned for that type of thing. Besides it just cheapens the neighborhood bigtime to have loads of people sitting home watching soap operas and game shows and playing basketball at times when productive citizens are at work. I understand the part about not wanting a group home next to your house, it totally makes sense. Once I lived in a tenement where there was a dude that would be on the elevator in just his boxers and a tee shirt, you'd go to get on the elevator and there he'd be all aimed up in the corner to urinate and blocking the controls. Boo to that little land grab, they need to take that jazz elsewhere. T.D.

Tread ye gently my brethren.
Master SG 


Location: Memphis, TN


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Re: Hotel’s end is first step toward compassionate community
<Reply # 4 on 2/16/2010 10:01 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I guess another thing to go along with what I sent in earlier would be that they can't just stick a group home anywhere they want without asking everybody in the neighborhood first. And another thing I don't know if it's such a good idea for these places to go around knocking down old buildings to suit their interests, especially on the 'premise'(no pun intended, ha ha)that certain occupations are compassionate toward people with disabilities and some are not. It sounds to me as though the people who have lived at the Executive Hotel have been hostile or indifferent to the Faison School and they want it stopped. Someone please correct me if I am misinformed. Peace, T.D.

Tread ye gently my brethren.
yournotwelcum 






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Re: Hotel’s end is first step toward compassionate community
<Reply # 5 on 3/20/2010 11:18 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
wait! are you guys talking about that hotel that was recently torn down with the fake tree in the lobby in Willow lawn? I tried getting into that with a friend a while back, shame its gone now. That other hotel next to the red roof inn under the highway and across from diversity thrift came down too this year. :[

Master SG 


Location: Memphis, TN


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Re: Hotel’s end is first step toward compassionate community
<Reply # 6 on 4/28/2010 2:40 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
It was The Ambassador Hotel I believe. Never been there, just commenting on a bit of land grabbing being done by a halfway home that's going up.

Tread ye gently my brethren.
Master SG 


Location: Memphis, TN


Get dancing or you're fired!

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Re: Hotel’s end is first step toward compassionate community
<Reply # 7 on 4/28/2010 6:48 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Ooops. Wrong place. Sorry, my bad. Factcheck. Ooops.

Tread ye gently my brethren.
UER Forum > Archived US: Mid-Atlantic > Hotel’s end is first step toward compassionate community (Viewed 915 times)



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