Champion

Our first home, Champion House, opened its doors on April 8, 1983.  The origin of Champion House, and our agency’s first major step into the world of residential services, was a decision to develop a group home that would serve a target group of people who need support 24 hours per day for all aspects of daily living. The common factors in this target group were mental retardation and a need for high supervision and support. We managed to get commitment from the State for an operating contract, and with that in hand, started searching for construction funds. That search led us to the Archdiocesan Housing Authority and a long-standing partnership to serve people with Developmental Disabilities. The AHA sponsored us for a HUD 202 loan to build the eight-bedroom barrier-free home that is now Champion House.

Halcyon

Our second home is Halcyon, which opened in February 1987.  Halcyon was built from the ground up with a HUD 202 loan sponsored by the Archdiocesan Housing Authority.  Our agency had learned a lot in the three years since opening our first home, but we still faced significant challenges. We had eight new residents who didn’t know each other, many new staff and a new neighborhood that wasn’t too sure about a “group home.” We asked our neighbors to give us a chance to prove that we would be good neighbors and of our desire to maintain the high standards of the community.  

Visions

In 1991, we started Visions, which is an Intensive Tenant Support facility. Two of our Halcyon residents needed more nursing than we could provide in a group home, but we knew that if they were living in their own home, we could provide the services they needed. They rented an apartment together and we provided all of their services in their home.  We soon moved the Visions program to a newly-remodeled wheelchair accessible home in the Bridle Trails area of Kirkland in 1994 and began serving five people with high medical needs who are able to live in a home they can call their own.

Trail House

Trail House, the newest of our programs, is also an Intensive Tenant Support program.  We serve two gentlemen at this home, both of whom work and volunteer in the community.  An urgent need within the community to serve young people with severe disabilities who were aging out of children’s foster care resulted in our development of our Trail House facility.  Helping Hands for the Disabled owns this home, and our agency’s administrative offices are located in the basement.