Opening nears for Orleans housing for autistic adults

Dec. 27--ORLEANS -- Lauren Jones received the best Christmas present she could have hoped for this year. On Tuesday, Orleans Assistant Building Inspector Davis Walters issued a certificate of occupancy for the Cape Cod Village community center.

Jones and her husband, Bob, are co-founders of Cape Cod Village, a nonprofit organization that owns the residential housing community of the same name. The Orleans couple have been working for nine years to secure money to build supportive residential housing on the Cape for adults on the autism spectrum.

The planned community will house 16 adults with autism. The community center is the centerpiece of the village.

The 3,400-square-foot center will be a hub of sorts, hosting educational programs and providing opportunities for recreation and socialization for its residents. It will hold a resource library and space to accommodate up to 75 individuals.

It also will be open to the community at large.

Lauren Jones envisions the center hosting arts and crafts groups, musical performances, holiday parties, drumming circles, and yoga and exercise classes.

Involving the community in the lives of Cape Cod Village residents is at the heart of the organization's mission.

The Joneses came to the project with a deep understanding of the need for residential housing for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Their 31-year-old son, Alexander, has autism. He attended Orleans Elementary School and a residential school in Boston until he aged out of the system when he turned 22. He is currently living in a group home.

But many individuals with autism live with their parents. As these parents age, they worry about what will happen to their adult children when they are no longer around to care for them.

Cape Cod Village aims to provide living space and supportive services in a villagelike setting.

For individuals who can have trouble socializing, the elements built into the village are meant to expand their lives beyond their housing units. The model calls for residents to be actively involved in their environment and community.

"This will be so much larger than the 16 individuals living here," Jones said.

The 4-acre parcel on which the housing units and community center sit is in the heart of downtown Orleans. The library and downtown stores are within walking distance, and the village abuts the Cape Cod Rail Trail.

A gazebo sits at the edge of a level lawn. The community center sits in the middle of two structures that hold eight bedrooms each. The site plan was designed to have a neighborhood feel to it.

"Group homes tend to be isolating," Jones said. "Congregate living made sense to us. This is a community within a community."

The Joneses hope the village model will be replicated elsewhere.

The first resident is scheduled to move into Cape Cod Village in January. Other residents will move in in phases, allowing staff and residents a chance to get acclimated.

"The town has been incredibly supportive," Jones said.

Walters is waiting on a few minor details before he can issue certificates of occupancy for the residential buildings.

"It's an amazing accomplishment," he said. "They are satisfying a huge need in the community. I'm happy for them."

Follow Denise Coffey on Twitter: @DeniseCoffeyCCT.

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