Page 4  - Please modify the proposed definition of Group Home to allow live-in assistants.

The proposed regulations defines a Group Home as “a congregate service in a community-based home having eight or fewer residents that provides 24-hour supervision by persons in direct care positions who do not live in the home.”

Please delete the phrase, “who do not live in the home.”

When a home is shared by assistants and persons with disabilities, the quality of life and the quality of the home  increases for several reasons. First, and most importantly, when sharing a home, assistants and persons with disabilities form meaningful relationships that enhance life for all. Second, assistants have an extra incentive to care for the home – it’s theirs too. Third, assistants who live in a home tend to stay longer, reducing the constant upheaval caused by frequent turnover.

10 years ago, 2 friends and I visited a L’Arche home with the question, “What will happen when I can no longer care for my daughter?” In L’Arche, we witnessed assistants (aides) accompanying and sharing a home with persons with disabilities. We were inspired by hope. We founded L’Arche Metro Richmond and have been working towards bringing L’Arche to our area for 10 years. Please delete the phrase "who do not live in the home" so the door to the L'Arche model and other models that include live-in assistants remains open.

L'Arche (French for The Ark) was founded in France in 1964. Today, there are 149 L'Arche communities around the globe, 18 in the USA. Metro Richmond needs L'Arche.