By Nicole Falco
Last week, the village received notification from Life's WORC (Working Organization for Retarded Children and Adults), a not-for-profit organization that runs more than 30 group homes in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens. The village has 40 days to respond. The village Board of Trustees can either approve the home, suggest a viable alternate location or offer evidence that the suggested area is oversaturated with similar facilities. According to Village Clerk Vinny Ang, the board will make its reccomendation to Life's WORC based on its own review of similar facilities and residents' input.
About a half dozen group homes for disabled individuals already exist in the village. "They've all seemed to fit in the community," Ang said. "But they do come off the tax rolls."
Neal Sweifel, assistant executive director of operations for Life's WORC, said the home will not be purchased until negotiations with the village are complete, which would be in late December or early January.
Sweifel explained that the six individuals, both male and female, who would live in the St. John's Avenue home would all be in their early 20s and 30s. Some of them are relocating from one of Life's WORC's other group homes or are moving from their family home. At least two trained staff members would be on duty at the home at all times.
"The only difference between one of our homes and the home next door is the people who live here are not related by blood, but they are still a family," Sweifel said.
Life's WORC's residents participate in daily workshops and programs that are offered offsite by various agencies. Life's WORC, which was founded in 1971, provides transportation to its residents or supervises their travel. Each home is also maintained by Life's WORC, Sweifel said.
"We are very person centered," Sweifel said. "When the individuals move into one of our homes, we are there to help them, support them to lead as productive a life as we can."
For more information about Life's WORC, visit www.lifesworc.org. To voice an opinion about the proposal to the village, address letters to Mayor Edward Cahill and the Board of Trustees, Village Hall, 123 S. Central Ave., Valley Stream, NY 11580.
