When Joanne Malise says shared living is the best residential option she’s seen in her 30-plus years in social services, she isn’t just applauding her team at MENTOR Shared Living. Programs like MENTOR take adults with developmental disabilities – some of whom have families unable to care for them, others who have bounced around to different group homes – and give them not just a space to live, but a family to be a part of.

In three short years, MENTOR has gone from being a relatively unknown program to a service that has placed 41 individuals into loving homes. Considering it takes two months to go through the application process, averaging one placement a month is an impressive feat. These adults are empowered when they are given a choice of where they want to live and whom they want to live with. For many, it is the first time that their feelings were the most important part of the equation.

While group homes have served the community well and are staffed by extraordinary people who are dedicated to improving the lives of these adults, shared living provides one-on-one attention like group homes cannot. The revolving door of group homes – changing staff and changing hours – creates a sense of impermanence for residents. Shared living on the other hand, provides stability and creates the kind of routines and expectations that challenge individuals to do their best. That consistency has the potential to change behaviors that have served as roadblocks. Shared living residents know that at the end of the day, they have a family to answer to and they are an integral part of that family.

MENTOR is a relatively young program within a national coalition of human service professionals that have been changing lives for decades. In a short time though, they have made major strides, made evident by their well attended MENTOR nights that have made a larger office a necessity. When families sign on to the MENTOR mission, they find support at every level from navigating the maze of finding state assistance to adjusting to their new situations. States like New Hampshire and Massachusetts have indicated that between savings realized for the state and the personal development possible for individuals, shared living is the preferred alternative. That is a path Rhode Island is considering and based on what we’ve heard from MENTOR families, we think that sounds like a win-win situation.