HISTORYTwenty Year History 1986-2006 In October of 1986, three individuals from Kalamazoo incorporated an agency they titled DCD. This group was a subsidiary of the Kalamazoo Foundation. These founders were Burt Upjohn, Ted Little, and Jud Knapper. Though rarely known, Howard Kalleward, who was the Executive Director of the Kalamazoo Foundation titled this agency “DCD” for Dependent Citizens of Downtown. Dick Fink and Steve Smith were the staff hired and in 1987 the first specialized residential home for adults with a mental illness was opened in Kalamazoo. That was a home on Lovell St. In 1988 a second home opened on Whites Rd. This program was later titled the Mental Health Addiction Recovery Home. This unique program was for adults who not only had a mental illness, but had significant substance abuse problems. In 1991, the Board of Directors renamed the agency “Living Ways”. The name and logo was developed by the firm Lawton, King, and Fricke. Brad Lawton was then a board member and his participation continues today as the President of the Living Ways Foundation. The agency had many offices during the first ten years. The administrative staff worked out of the homes, then the Rickman Bldg. in downtown Kalamazoo, then to a small space on Portage road, until they settled into their current space on 626 Reed Ave. A new office was necessary due to the growth the agency was experiencing. Living Ways had nine specialized residential homes by 1993, as well as running a small supported living program for adults with a mental illness who lived in their own homes, In 1994, Living Ways took over a contract for a struggling agency that was serving adults with a developmental disability in their own homes. This agency was “Options for Community Living”. A friendly merger brought 20 new consumers and 75 staff to the agency. The Boards of each organization merged to support the new business. In 1996, Living Ways was approached by Hope Network of Grand Rapids. Hope Network was the new provider of the old Edison Program that was run out of the Stockbridge Church. They moved the program to the corner of Alcott and Portage, but after a year and a half, were struggling with the oversight of that program. After many meetings and deliberation, the Living Ways board made a decision to merge with Hope Network and took over their program. The merge with Hope Network brought many new experiences. With Hope Network’s lead, Living Ways oversaw the building and management of the first two HUD 811 apartment projects in Kalamazoo. These apartments serve adults with a mental illness. Living Ways also managed two other apartments for Summit Point Behavioral Health in Battle Creek. In 2003, Living Ways and Arch, another Hope Network affiliate company in Sturgis Michigan combined to form one agency. That consolidation resulted in the agency changing its names to “Hope Network South” and once again, the boards were merged. The new agency now had contracts with Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Berrien community mental health agencies. The scope of services included Specialized Residential, Supported Living, Vocational, Transportation, and Housing. In 2005, after unsuccessful discussions with community mental health, Hope Network made a decision to end their contract for supported living services with Kalamazoo mental health. This decision prompted discussions around the community. With an agreed upon strategy, Hope Network transferred the assets to a newly formed company called Community Living Options. On January 1, 2006, Community Living Options officially took over the business that Hope Network South had in Kalamazoo County. While a portion of the business remained with Hope Network, the parties involved feel that the values of this community will be best served today and in the future with this change. Community Living Options currently provides specialized residential services, supported living, and day program services. It continues to be affiliated with My Own Home, a housing company that has been with the organization since 1995. It also is supported by the Living Ways Foundation, which was established in 1997. CLO employs 125 staff and has a budget of just over 3 million dollars. Over the last twenty years, the agency has had three executive directors. The first director was Steve Smith (1986-1993). The next director was Erik Krogh (1993-2000) who was also the first Board President for the agency when they formed their board in 1989. Erik continues his dedication by being on boards of the Living Ways Foundation as well as My Own Home. The most recent director is Fiorella (fee) Spalvieri. Fee began working at Living Ways in 1993 as a Program Director and today serves as the Director of CLO. Community Living Options would like to thank all of the wonderful people who have helped this agency grow and survive. Stay with us for another successful 20 years! |
