High Spirit Advisory
Our plan is to to help others replicate the model of care developed at High Spirit Community Farm.
All adults with IDD and their families should experience the same sense of belonging, purpose, and joy. To help you accomplish this, we will draw on the experiences of the founding parents, whose children’s school funded support services ended precipitously the day they turned 22; the moment known as “the cliff”. And we will draw on the work of the residents and staff at HSCF, making it the joyful community that it is today. The model that we have developed is unique. It shouldn't be.
This is how we can help:
But we need to do more:
We will connect you with other motivated people that share your goals and vision
We will guide your team in the process of building a new community.
We will advocate for your projects with the Department of Developmental Services and we will also advocate for larger systems changes.
We will share our knowledge and resources.
We will provide your program with oversight and contract management services through the High Spirit Agency.
We need to work and act collectively. We will create a network of families locally and nationally to advocate for legislative change that affects millions of families around the country.
We will work closely with educators to introduce the High Spirit model of care into their curricula that encourage students to pursue careers in caring with adults with IDD.
We will use the film Raising Bar and other materials to help raise awareness of this problem and conduct workshops for parents who are seeking solutions.
Upcoming events
Plan an Event with Us!
Let’s use our documentary film, Raising Bar, as a starting point to action, whether you want to motivate families to work together on shared goals, build coalitions with funders and legislators, or inspire potential care provider staff. We will show the film and hold a post-film discussion to mobilize change!
Contact High Spirit Advisory if you are interested.
Current Projects
High Spirit East
High Spirit East is working to build a community that is wheelchair accessible and can accommodate complex medical needs in the Boston Metro Area. They have opened a Day Program prototype and will be expanding that service in 2025. And this year’s fundraising outcomes will eventually lead to the purchase of a residential property. Would you like to join the effort? Learn more at their website.
Linden Branches
This family is ready to team up with you and build a community centered around an active lifestyle and meaningful relationships. Work with us and add your vision to theirs in an effort to create a home for your loved-one. We are ready to get started. Contact Lesley for more information - lesley@highspirit.org
Video Gallery
Inspiration, Information, Reassurance
The Challenge
Parents explain why we need places like more residential care options.
Browse through our video gallery where Founders, Staff and Professionals in the field explain how High Spirit Community Farm got its start. They address topics such as your vision, employees, and structure. You may be able to relate to the families in these clips.
The High Spirit Model:
Nonprofit status
Live-in staff
3 homes, 1 property
Day Programming provided on the property and in the community
State funding for individuals and licenses for Residential and Day Programming.
Located within ten minutes of a welcoming and vibrant community
Why this model?
Start-up capital is required to launch this model. Our operating funds come from government sources, although it is still necessary to raise private funds in order to provide a career path for our staff. We are committed to advocating for new and different government funding streams to make High Spirit and similar communities more financially sustainable.
Our operating funds come from two MA Department of Developmental Services (DDS) Contracts:
Funding
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High Spirit has been granted an exception so that the funds go directly to the nonprofit rather than to the care provider’s bank account.
Money is used for the operation of each home - groceries, home supplies, furniture, maintenance etc.
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These contracts pay for Day Program materials, equipment, transportation, and staff salaries
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Supports capital expenses such as:
Purchase of property, improvement of buildings and equipment and program growth
Staff retirement funds and health insurance
This is how you can help:
High Spirit Advisory exists only with the help of our donors.
Talk to your Legislators and Health and Human Services
In the noble federal effort to de-institutionalize care for adults with IDD, healthy, innovative communities like High Spirit, where friends live together and support each other, are left without a clear path to government funds and a battle for every penny. We need to show Legislators and Government Agency Directors that this model is an evolution in care for adults with IDD, care providers, and families. And that it is the opposite of the isolating and dehumanizing institutional models of old.
Help us connect with Academia
To further explore the model's impact and potential for wider implementation, we'd like to collaborate with Academics, to formally study the effectiveness of our model and government funding policy in regard to this new model of care.