Community based housing enables persons with disabilities to live just like anyone else -- in their own community and in their own home. They can go to work during the week, enjoy leisure time activities on the weekends and in the evenings, and receive more personalized supervision and care by support care organizations.

North Coast Community Homes (NCCH) works with local realtors to find the best possible properties for special needs housing. Efforts concentrate on placing tenants in neighborhoos of their choice and dispersing homes throughout the various municipalities and townships in each county we serve.

For persons with mental retardation and developmental disabilities, NCCH typically develops two types of rental properties for four or less individuals per home -- one for individuals who are ambulatory and one for individuals who are more disabled and generally use wheelchairs. This latter type of home must be accessible and requires modifications that are far more extensive and expensive than a home for the ambulatory.

We also have developed licensed residential care facilities for five or more people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities that are operated by the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

For persons with mental illness, they typically live independently in an apartment unit in a multifamily building.