Solon Community Living residents, family and caregivers gather for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the grand opening of their new homes on June 7.

From clevelandjewishnews.com
By Casey Couch

After nearly a decade in the making, Solon Community Living officially opened its doors to residents with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 7, offering adults with developmental disabilities a new kind of independence through a thoughtfully designed residential neighborhood that blends autonomy with round-the-clock care.

Solon Community Living, a nonprofit, features 14 private residences, six caregiver suites and a communal clubhouse that hosts game and movie nights, events and a residents council to ensure voices are heard and needs are met.

Stemming from a simple idea by two concerned parents, the vision for Solon Community Living began in 2016, when founders Ara Bagdasarian and his wife, Leslie, saw a need for more inclusive housing options for adults with developmental disabilities, inspired by their two children who both have Fragile X Syndrome.

“We struggled, like many families, with ‘what would their life be like’ and ‘what would their care be like’ when we aren’t there to take care of them,” Ara Bagdasarian told the Cleveland Jewish News. “We’ve been thinking about it for well over 20 years, so the idea that we could create a better life for our children and others drove us to this project. With the idea that failure isn’t an option, even though it was very difficult, the result was too important to give up on.”

Solon Community Living on Clearwater Court in Solon has 14 residential units and six caregiver units, as well as a clubhouse for group activities.

Determined to create a supportive environment that fostered both safety and independence, the couple spent years developing the concept and working with the city of Solon, Mayor Eddy Kraus and city council members, especially former councilman Bill Russo, to create a unique zoning code that would allow the neighborhood to operate within the proposed guidelines, which was approved in 2019. Today, their children, ages 32 and 34, are among the first residents of Solon Community Living alongside 13 others.

Unlike traditional assisted living or nursing facilities, Solon Community Living was designed to give its residents a greater sense of freedom while still ensuring access to care whenever it’s needed. With a minimum resident age of 22 years old, compared to the typical 55-year-old minimum for nursing facilities, the neighborhood, located on Clearwater Court in Solon, offers a combination of private living spaces and currently has two on-site resident assistants, allowing residents to have privacy, independence and the one thing that family members care most about – care when they’re alone.

“One of the parents brought everyone to tears while speaking about how grateful they are. It’s been incredibly positive and heartwarming to me,” Bagdasarian said. “It’s been great to see the relief in the families that their son or daughter now has a safe and accessible place to live.”

The two resident assistants, Gabriella Rapposelli and Emma Van Winkle, are college students studying to be in the field who serve as peer mentors to the residents and are currently supplementing as caregivers. The resident director, Logan Andress, oversees operations and is actively looking for caregivers to fill the open positions.

According to Bagdasarian, Andress and himself are already looking at ways to improve, despite only being open for just over a month, to continue to provide residents with a positive and engaging living experience.

“We’re trying to improve what we offer,” Bagdasarian said. “We’re getting input and doing what’s best and to help the community grow and learn, and we want to build the community around the residents so that they can engage with each other through programming.”

While the zoning is currently unique to Solon, it won’t be for long, as other communities are already attempting to follow suit and replicate their own caregiver-neighborhoods, such as Hudson Community Living, which is currently in the construction process. According to Bagdasarian, they followed the Solon model, and he hopes they won’t be the only ones to do so.

According to Hudson Community Living’s website, 65% of individuals with developmental disabilities in Ohio live with aging parents or siblings, and there is a lack of caregiving options beyond traditional assisted living, which is why they are joining Solon in their efforts to provide unique housing options.