Making Intentional Communities More Accessible

In California alone, approximately 175,000 adults with special needs live with family members, and they are aging. When their caregivers pass away, where will these vulnerable adults live and who will take care of them? Part of the answer to this question should involve a quality of life answer.  At Big Wave we have an answer.

For the last twenty years, my business partner Steve and I have been committed to creating and implementing a model that provides affordable housing as well as quality of life for our local community members with special needs. This is a practical answer that has involved dozens of smart parents of adults with special needs in the Half Moon Bay area.

Most of the existing programs that are administered use state and federal grants to purchase and renovate property to be used as homes for individuals with special needs. While this works for some who have family and friends close by, it doesn’t work for the entire special needs community. As parents, we are aware that typical housing programs are filled with adults without a community, who feel isolated in their living space, and others yearn for a purpose.

I’ve seen frustrated families who have prayed for alternatives. We spent a long time listening to these families.