Cuyahoga County

North Coast Community Homes was asked to develop four homes in 2011 to 2012 for people with developmental disabilities in Cuyahoga County by the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD). To date two homes are being developed, one has just been purchased and the fourth is still being planned.

According to a report from the Boston-based Technical Assistance Collaborative which focuses on national models for special needs facilities, "Housing is the key for individuals with disabilities. It is the necessary foundation piece that leads to education, employment, and active participation in communities." As of October 2011, NCCH provides 193 homes for 933 tenants, who otherwise would have to live at home with their aging parents, or in some extreme cases, on the streets.

CCBDD will be taking over the ownership of four group residences that are now owned by NCCH.

Safety has always been one of the major elements NCCH provides in its specialized housing facilities. Although all NCCH properties have smoke detectors and almost all have above stove fire retardant systems, sprinkling systems are recognized as the preferred method for providing fire protection in structures housing individuals with disabilities. Currently 61% of all NCCH properties in Cuyahoga County have sprinkling systems installed. Our goal is to sprinkle all our properties. The cost to purchase and install a sprinkling system in one home is $31,000 -- a sizeable investment, but an significant one when you think about the lives that it can save.

Lake and Stark Counties

There are no new plans for NCCH to develop additional specialized housing in Lake and Stark Counties. Maintenance of current properties will continue. The development of customized housing for people with disabilities is expensive, which, in turn, can cause higher rents for tenants to pay. Most of our tenants have annual incomes of approximately $8,500 so rent expenses are of primary concern.

Summit County

North Coast Community Homes and its President and CEO, Stephen McPeake were the honored recipients of The Margaret Clark Morgan Impact Award for Innovation for providing safe and secure housing for 20 tenants with severe mental illness in Akron. The Morgan Impact Awards are presented to individuals and organizations that serve as examples of the highest standards of excellence in mental health, education and the arts in Northeast Ohio.

Due to varying degrees and symptoms of the mental illnesses of our Summit County tenants, many have found the maintenance of their individual apartment units a major and sometimes an overwhelming task. To address this issue, NCCH established a Housekeeping Program in conjunction with the Summit County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board. The goal of this program is to have clean, well maintained apartments with the ongoing and progressive support of the tenants with the actual cleaning. Currently we have 40 tenants who are receiving regular housekeeping services and more will be added as needed. The end result of this program is two-fold. First it supports our tenants enabling them to live safely. Second, it helps reduce renovation expenditures.