group home

I visited the only area group home for kids (ages 10-19) today. I feel like such a huge weight has been lifted! The home is in a nice neighborhood, right by the hospital. The woman in charge is young, energetic and very nice. They have a large staff, and round the clock care and only three kids at a time. Each child gets their own bedroom, and every bedroom is locked to prevent the other kids from getting in and playing with/breaking toys, however you can always get out from the inside. The front door is protected by a large magnet and the only way to unlock the door is with a key (unless there's an emergency...like if the sprinklers go off, the door automatically unlocks), so there's no worrying about kids getting out. Each child has their own bin of food and snacks, that they buy themselves on trips to the grocery store. Everything is nicely structured. They have a swing inside and a large, adult size swing set outside with three swings. In the summer they put up a big swimming pool. There's lots of room to run outside, without it being so large you worry about losing someone. They also have a garden on the side of the house.

I also learned it wouldn't cost us anything...it's all state funded. Wow. And if he were living there, he'd be under something called "comprehensive care" which means he'd qualify for medicaid and have secondary insurance again (to pay copays, etc). They also get an allowance of $140/month that the kids use to learn how to shop for snacks, clothes, toys, whatever they need.

I'm just so glad I went to visit this place. Of course, we would want him to stay living with us...but if that isn't an option someday, it's nice to know this is available. And only about 10 minutes away.

Gotta go...someone is wanting to ride his bike for awhile before Alex gets home from school.