Opening Doors to Greater Independence

Three residents at Day Spring bear witness to the rewards of personal empowerment, the benefits of community support, and the rewards of developing new independent living housing opportunities.

Day Spring, Inc., a HUD grant recipient since 1992, provides residential and support services to adults with developmental disabilities who want the opportunity to live in a supportive community setting. Cindy Cusick, Ray Goodman, and Jack Gollar were already successfully living in a HUD-funded group home when they expressed the desire to live more independently. Unfortunately, the only barrier between them and their goal for greater independence was a lack of independent living apartments.

To address this need, Day Spring, Inc., applied for and received a grant under HUD's Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities program. As a result, Day Spring Woods, which consists of six one-bedroom units for very low-income persons with developmental disabilities and other amenities, was developed with a $541,100 interest-free capital advance, $90,000 in HOME funds, and Project Rental Assistance of $17,800 per year that supplements the rental income received from the residents. Additional funding from Day Spring, Inc., and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati completed the project.

The development process of Day Spring Woods offered a unique experience to the HUD Louisville Multifamily Housing Program Center staff. The Day Spring, Inc., development team for this project included News Directions Housing Corporation, a local nonprofit developer, Cindy, Ray, and Jack. As active participants throughout the process, Cindy, Ray, and Jack had input into the grant application, building design, and they also accompanied staff on site visits. During the pre-construction conference, Wood McGraw, HUD's Senior Construction Analyst, explained that he would be inspecting the construction of Day Spring Woods. When Cindy heard that she exclaimed, "Well, this is my home and you better do a good job!"

In December 2006, Cindy, Ray, and Jack celebrated the grand opening of Day Spring Woods with a community-wide open house. All the residents had their apartments decorated to the hilt. The entire community celebrated with Cindy, Ray, and Jack as they realized their dream for greater independence and empowerment.