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Stuffed animals tumble from a bed resembling a small zoo, pictures lean against the wall, waiting to be hung. While the wee, bare living room anticipates a new couch and recliner, the roomy, neat-as-a-pin kitchen with cozy table and chairs stands ready for the next meal. the colorful wreath on the front door of the trim white cottage with its stone pillars seems to sing with the spirit of its new resident, Stephanie Taylor. any 33-year-old woman would love to live in this Craftsman-like court of five, two-bedroom cottages renovated by Villa Esperanza Services in Pasadena. Taylor, however, sees her new home as a crowning achievement. In fewer than five years, she worked her way from the bottom to the top the three levels of residential programs at Villa Esperanza to join the first 10 developmentally disabled adults to occupy Villa’s new independent-living quarters. “It was a hard job,” Taylor said, recalling with a chortle how her five housemates at a Villa group home ate mashed potatoes for days when she first began cooking. “I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to cook the whole box at once.” Not only did she learn to cook, she also became the client representative on the Villa Board of Directors and wowed a crowd of athletes and spectators when she was a keynote speaker at the 1999 Special Olympics Summer Games in Long Beach. “Rafer Johnson put them to sleep, but I brought out the crowd when I said, ‘Let’s party this weekend!’ she said matter-of-factly. “Was I nervous! I had never spoken to thousands of people before.” Asked her secret to success, she said, “I just practiced in front of the mirror.” As for her role on the Villa board, she said, “I like to stick up for people.” Dorothy Nelson, chief executive officer of Villa, said Taylor not only advocates for clients, but also has contributed several fund-raising ideas, not the least of which is a celebrity rock concert yet to be realized. “Stephanie is our poster person,” Nelson said, explaining that Taylor personifies the mission of Villa Esperanza Services: Moving children, adults and seniors away from a sheltered environment and out into the community where they can live, learn, work and play with others. Speaking on behalf of the residents of Villa’s five new independent-living apartments, Taylor addressed an array of city, county and state dignitaries at the ribbon cutting ceremonies earlier this year. Purchase and renovation of the complex in the 2000 block of East Villa Street were made possible by grants totaling $1.2 million. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provided $446,000 through the state, while locally administered HUD funds provided the balance--$250,000 from Pasadena’s Community Development Block Grants and $511,000 from a low-income housing allocation funneled through the Los Angeles County Community Development Commission from the City of Industry. The $240,000 cost per unit seems a small price to pay for transforming a shabby court into a jewel-like garden dotted with crisp white cottages. The added bonus, of course, is decent housing for people with limited incomes and the dignity of independent living. Gioia Pastre, Villa’s director of development, credits CEO Nelson for initiating the partnership with HUD, which has contributed $4.5 million over the past six years for purchase and rehabilitation of a total of 12 residences spanning the three levels of ability. This segment of the Villa residential program—seven group homes and five apartments—accommodates 58 people and must be used to house developmentally disabled for a minimum of 40 years, according to HUD rules. “We’re in the business of serving the developmentally disabled and don’t foresee changing the use of the HUD-funded residences after 40 years,” Pastre said. Villa also has three group homes for 18 in Thousand Oaks. “There is an increasing number of people who need residential care,” she said. If moving into the cottages is an achievement for Taylor, tripling the capacity of a fledging independent-living program with the new complex also is a pinnacle for Villa, which has been helping developmentally disabled individuals reach their fullest potential for the past 42 years. Begun in a garage by a group of parents of Down Syndrome children in 1961, Villa has continually expanded to help people of all ages and disabilities gain self-respect and dignity and to enjoy life within the community. The independent-living program is one more step toward the mainstream. “At Villa they helped me grow emotionally and gave me more confidence to do things on my own,” Taylor said. “They taught me it is OK to have feelings; it’s OK to be afraid.” Jaqueline D. Knowles is a Sierra Madre-based freelance writer. |
