Thank you!

WelcomeOPP   We are about 10 months into the Community Supported Living project and have really enjoyed the journey so far. As often happens, much of what we anticipated would occur, hasn’t and things we never imagined as possibilities have happened. We have had successes and we have had challenges. One thing is for sure, and that is we all have learned and grown along the way.   OPPINCNEWLOGO If you’ve been following this blog, you know the obvious successes are some of the clients we are supporting to live independently in their own homes. Both Lily and Joey have been blown away by the amount of positive feedback and support you all have given them with your kind messages. Each and every one of those are shared with them. We’ve also had success internally, as an organization. Opportunity Inc. has truly embraced the culture and concept of community. From our board of directors to our front line staff, we have change our language, systems and policies to reflect a support based model with a focus on community. The grant from the BPDD gave us the means to dive into the CSL program to pick apart and identify the processes that do and don’t work. We’ve been able to create a Learning Community. The Learning Community gives us a central place to share stories, develop training and streamline communication. We’ve been able to work with Joe Erpenbeck through LinkEd to gain an understanding of community engagement and how we can apply this concept in how we operate. There are also challenges. We’ve identified the need for a clarity of expectations. As you know, we have been given this clarity and feel good as continue to provide this model of supports within the contractual expectations. We’ve identified the need for adequate training. We continue to evolve the training through the use of the Learning Community. We’ve identified and have anticipated staffing difficulties both now and in the years to come. And finally, we’ve identified that we are uncertain of the financial viability of the CSL program. While we still face uncertainty with the last two challenges, we are confident we will make progress in both areas in the months to come. I want to end this post with a big thank you to all of you who have shared positive feedback and encouragement on our Journey. Opportunity Inc. continues to be passionate about the direction we are headed in and about the possibility to make a difference in every life we touch.   thank you   Thank you!