Six years ago, Janet Davis – a longtime foster parent in Warwick – was told that there was a young girl in a group home that needed help. Three weeks later Donna Beausoleil moved in, and thanks to MENTOR Shared Living, she’s not going anywhere.

This October, Donna turned 21, a milestone birthday in more ways than one. No longer under the jurisdiction of the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families, she and Janet needed to find alternative means of support.

“I knew I had to do something and I had to do it quick,” Janet said, knowing that without state aid Donna would have to move back into a group home. “I didn’t want that for her. She belongs here.”

They had depended on the financial support of DCYF but soon discovered that Donna was eligible for assistance through the Division of Developmental Disabilities. Two-thirds of Donna’s Social Security funds also go toward room and board costs for Janet. To ensure the transition was a smooth one, MENTOR Shared Living stepped in and helped navigate Janet through a mountain of paperwork.

“It made sense for [Donna] to stay here with someone who loves her,” said Shaelyn Crooks, the program recruiter for MENTOR Shared Living.

In addition to the steps toward qualifying for state aid, Janet underwent a two-month application process for the MENTOR program. Before approving a match, MENTOR sends direct support professionals into the home for an extensive series of interviews, home inspections and trial meetings between the family and the adult being placed. As time passes, the individual also spends trial weekends at their potential home. Once placed, support staff members like Crooks visit the home once a week for the first two months and then visit at least once monthly from that point on.

“We visit the home all the time,” she said. “When you sign on to this you give up a certain level of privacy.”

The MENTOR Network is a national coalition of human services providers that has provided residential living opportunities to adults with developmental disabilities for almost 30 years. The Rhode Island office opened in February of 2006 and has already placed 37 clients in residential homes.

“It works for a whole variety of people. You just need to be able to see the potential in someone,” Crooks explained. She lists compassion and patience as important qualities for a MENTOR and said the generosity she has seen serves as a reminder of why she works for the program.

“I am truly blessed and amazed because every day in my job I get to meet wonderful people,” Crooks said.

Shared living serves as an alternative to group homes, a direction several states have already begun to move in. In New Hampshire, for example, a similar program has yielded significant savings for the state. They pay a tax-free living stipend, which ranges from $40 to $90 a day, to households that take in one of these adults. The stipend costs less than supporting an individual in a group home setting. New Hampshire Governor John Lynch has hailed shared living as “the most cost effective approach.” If MENTOR’s growth over the past two and a half years is any indication, Rhode Island might soon follow that path.

“The state is really looking at shared living as the newest option,” Crooks said.

In Donna’s case, she had already been living with Janet for years before matching up with MENTOR. Many of these adults are entering a shared living situation for the first time, however, and are essentially choosing their family. MENTOR support staff individually interview the family and the adult being placed to ensure all parties are on board prior to moving in. That personalized approach carries over to member support. The organization hosts a MENTOR night once a month and also offers a monthly support group for families. In addition to the professional staff member, Janet can contact a MENTOR coach day or night – someone who has participated in the program and can offer support from the perspective of a person who has been in a similar situation.

“It’s more like a family,” Janet said of the network. “When you walk in you just feel comfortable.”

Janet said joining the MENTOR family was easy; getting to know Donna was not.

With two adopted daughters of her own and five grandchildren with another on the way, Janet is no stranger to childcare. She has been a foster parent for more than 40 years. The only times she took a break from caring for these children was when her late husband Richard was ill and again when she was recovering from cancer – Stage 4 cancer, to be exact.

“They told me I wouldn’t make it but I just knew inside of me that I had to keep going,” she said.

Janet’s work with children wasn’t over, to which Donna will attest. When asked if she liked living in the group home, Donna just shakes her head solemnly, but admits that she used to be very shy.

“She didn’t talk to anyone for a long time and then one day she started talking and we haven’t been able to shut her up,” Janet says, laughing as she pats Donna’s knee.

Now, Donna is thriving in her Warwick home with Janet and their two small dogs. She loves the mall, music and dancing, citing Akon as one of her favorites.

Crooks interjects, turning to ask about the Jonas Brothers, who she thought were Donna’s favorite musicians. She nods in agreement, but quickly clarifies that she doesn’t like to sing to either publicly – just in her bedroom – though Janet insists they both enjoy singing during mass at the Spring Green Baptist Church.

“I bought myself a birthday gift,” Donna adds suddenly, hurrying out of the room and re-entering with a snow globe in hand. She also loves the beach, and said she would like to save up and bring Janet to Florida one day.

When she’s not spending time with Janet, Donna attends a day program at the Trudeau Center and works at the Walt’s Roast Beef restaurant two days a week. Things haven’t always been easy for the pair, but sitting together on their living room coach with the Christmas tree lit nearby, it appears they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We’ve been through a lot together, but I’m helping another human being stay off the street and make a life for herself,” Janet said, Donna resting her head on her shoulder. “To me it is a blessing.”