services

Residential Living Services Program

Our residential supports take a very individualized or person-centered approach to determining appropriate living arrangements for our consumers. After concluding what living arrangement best suits an individual, our Intake Team strives to provide the least restrictive home setting for an individual. Staff support is designed based on the individual's needs and ability to learn new skills that will help the individual to progress to an even more independent home environment.

The residential supports strive to provide opportunities for individuals to become involved in recreation, leisure and community activities, such as doing physical recreation, attending religious services, participating in community organizations, vacationing and more. Better Community Living respects etnic and cultural diversity and encourages individuals to embrace that diversity at home and in the community.

BCL consumers represent a population with a wide variety of needs. The agency relies on consumer and family input for the design of all residential supports. Our agency is committed to the national trend that promotes designing supports based on the needs of the individual being served by those supports. The residential supports also provide nursing and psychological assistance when needed as well as individual community supports and respite care.

Employment Support and Recreation Program

The Independent Community Employment/Recreation (ICE/R) program provides paid and volunteer work experience in the community. Our goal is to help support individuals who wish to pursue competitive employment in the local work force.

ICE/R helps individuals to plan their vocational goals and to work toward achieving them. The program provides employment opportunities, training and support. A person's Individualized Service Plan team - comprised of the individual, family members and BCL staff - is instrumental in helping to identify employment goals and necessary supports. Through this process, an individual's physical, mental and social skills are taken into consideration in order to determine employment that will best utilize those skills. Each person's individualized support system includes the opportunity for making choices daily and accomplishments.

Enhancing self-esteem and self-confidence as an individual's vocational and personal skills improve are among the program goals.

Many of the program's participants have achieved competitive community employment at local businesses, including gas stations, restaurants, beauty salons and retail stores.

Individual Supports

These instructional and training supports are provided to adults living independently or with a family. These services are responsive to the individual's needs and wishes including assistance with shopping, household chores, medical needs, dietary needs, banking and recreational needs.

Bridges to Faith

A collaborative whose mission is to provide opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities and the faith communities who welcome them in the New Bedford, Massachusetts area. Bridges to Faith focuses on identifying persons with developmental disabilities who wish to participate in local faith communities as well as to identify members of congregations who wish to offer support by serving as Faith Companions. The goal is to insure that individuals are offered opportunities to explore their spirituality and to enrich the lives of the congregations who welcome them. Since its inception the faith companionships which have been formed have blessed profoundly the lives of all concerned.

Visit the Bridges to Faith website for more information.

Intensive flexible family support (IFFS)

This program provides support to individuals under the age of 22 and living with their families. The primary purpose is to maintain the family unit and avoid the out-of-home placement of a child. Supports include a broad range of services that are provided directly by program staff or referred to other resources within the community. These supports assist in meeting the individuals' needs in areas that include medical, social, educational, housing and transportation.
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