The Family Supports Program offers ongoing services to families and people with disabilities living at home.

Stone Belt is looking toward the future and seeing that families of children and adults with disabilities still living at home are going to be more numerous and more in need of services and supports. The funding for people has shifted from residential supports, such as group homes and supported living, to Family Support Waivers that support respite, day services, behavior services, therapies, and other non-residential services.

We have been gradually shifting some of our focus in this direction, but it has been challenging to layer this on top of the intensive requirements of operating our residential programs. Therefore, we have hired someone to take the new role as director of family services.

Janessa Gerber, who has provided services to people with developmental disabilities for more than 25 years, started her new position at Stone Belt on March 5. Janessa has most recently worked at LIFEDesigns, overseeing programs similar to those offered at Stone Belt, and also has experience with providing respite services, structured family caregiving, and family-provided direct supports. She has just the experience we need to build on our current family support programs and expand them more rapidly.

Janessa supervises Sarah McKenney, our spiritual support/volunteer coordinator, and her office is at the Adams Street location. Janessa has been assessing the services that are most desired by clients and families and begin to put some of those services into place. They are likely to start slowly, but grow significantly over time as the community becomes more aware of what we are offering.