Greenburgh Insider: Need for housing for high functioning adults with developmental disabilities suggested.

 

Rochelle Stolzenberg and Loren Bohlen are parents with high functioning children with developmental disabilities. They are pushing the town to increase % of affordable housing requirements and suggest that assisted living facilities create housing.

Rochelle Stolzenberg and Loren Bohlen are parents of high functioning children with developmental disabilities who have been employed and are well liked. Rochelle and Loren worry about their children's future once they are unable to take care of them. There is a critical lack of affordable housing for adults with developmental disabilities. Rochelle and Loren appeared on my WVOX radio program and discussed their worries and some suggestions which include having the town of Greenburgh and other communities increase the percentage of affordable housing (we currently require 10% of new developments to be affordable; Yonkers has a 12% requirement). Should the town increase the percentage to 12% and allocate some of the new units to this population?  

Another suggestion would be to require new assisted living facilities that have not yet received approvals to set aside an apartment and a job for the developmentally disabled population.  We could and should ask existing facilities to do this on a voluntary basis. Rochelle and Loren's children are both very social. They have wonderful personalities and love to work.  They deserve a good quality of life. 

And, if they were given room and board in an assisted living facility would make great companions for the elderly population who often are alone.   It's also important that those with developmental disabilities have the ability to stay near or in the community where they currently live and work because they have roots in our community.

Let's make 2022 the year when families with developmentally disabled older children have some hope for their children's future. I am looking forward to working with Rochelle and Loren on this important initiative.

 

Here is the interview on YouTube - https://youtu.be/QGsuqQynrpI

PAUL FEINER

Greenburgh Town Supervisor