When the eight gentlemen served by Cardinal Services move into their new home on Parker Street later this month, they will do so with gratitude to K21 Health Foundation.
The home they are moving from was on CR 350S.
The CR 350S property is being sold. It’s a functional home for a family, but was no longer functioning for 12 people including eight clients with intense needs and four staff at any given time, according to Michelle Boxell, Cardinal Services community relations manager.
K21 awarded Cardinal $50,000 toward the project, building a new residential group home to replace one that no longer meets the needs of residents.
“Funding cuts and the current economy made it a difficult project for us,” Cardinal CEO Jane Wear explained, “but for the safety and well-being of the gentlemen, we could not delay. It would have been nice to be able to wait until times are better, but our first concern must always be the person. K21 helped us do that.”
Because the new home is on city water and sewage, the septic issues faced in the previous home no longer exist.
With eight residents and four staff in the home, the old system was under stress, Wear said.
Unlike the old home, the new home’s living space is all on one level, reducing the possibility of residents being injured moving from one space to another.
The home is accessible, including a roll-in shower.
“As our client population ages and the needs of those we serve become more profound, we also have a greater need for full accessibility throughout the home,” Wear said. “This home meets those needs and gives the residents the dignity in which they deserve to live.”
Cardinal Services operates 15 residential group homes, nine in Kosciusko County. Each is home to eight individuals with intellectual disabilities.
