Hugging The Future A One Of a Kind Transformation Is On The Way - With Your Help By Claudia Ward-de León
CHAPEL HAVEN
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tanding on Chapel Haven’s Westville campus for the first time, you can’t help but notice the sweeping, unobstructed view of West Rock’s majestic southern face. Like West Rock, Chapel Haven has a sense of permanence in the community, and like the iconic New Haven mountain ridge, the agency serves as a landmark of sorts, for the nearly 150 individuals that have graduated from its twoyear program and are now living independent lives in Westville. Some of these graduates are even working or attending college at places like Southern Connecticut State University and Gateway. President Michael Storz tells me on a recent sun-filled morning that the agency’s emphasis on its students becoming active, independent members of the community is what makes the agency so unique. Replicated many times, the model for Chapel Haven was pioneering for its time, its mission: to create an alternative to full-time group home living for individuals with disabilities or those on the autism spectrum. Back in 1972 when the agency opened its doors, that was something that simply didn’t exist.
ADVANCEMENT IN HEALTHCARE – ORGANZIATION Storz, who began working with individuals with disabilities in his teens when he served as a volunteer swim coach for the Special Olympics, began his work at Chapel Haven in 2000. When he talks about his early years in the field, he says one student in particular, “Stole my heart and gave me my direction.” Storz, who moved to the area to be with his wife, began working at Chapel Haven as an entry-level residential support coordinator, and worked in nearly every capacity 18
Chapel Haven community member Matthew Biles gets a big hug from Chapel Haven President Michael Storz after Matt made a moving speech about how Chapel Haven has given him a happy and independent life. Photo: Melanie Stengel
as he worked his way into a leadership role. A graduate of Providence College with a degree in psychology and business, he received his MBA from Southern and began serving as president of the agency in 2010. Storz explains that from a cost perspective alone, the work that Chapel Haven does is remarkable. A typical individual served by the agency would normally have to resort to living in a group home full-time, with the cost totaling around $100,00 per year. “And that’s a low estimate,” Storz says. For $65,000 per year, students enrolled in one of Chapel Haven’s transitional residential programs learn vital life skills such as budgeting, cooking, and vocational training that help get them on their way to living happy, independent lives. Once they’ve completed the two-year program, students make the transition to independent living and remain connected to the Chapel Haven community for as-needed services and
check-ins for a fraction of the cost of yearly tuition. Storz says thanks to the success of the program, individuals and their families save “hundreds of thousands of dollars over their lifetime.” But financial matters aside, Storz was not satisfied to rest on the laurels of the agency’s accomplishments. As early generations of students the agency has served get older, their needs begin to change. One female student, who was working out with a trainer in Chapel Haven’s gym during my visit, has been with the organization since 1981. As she reaches her golden years, she is one of many students who would normally be displaced or forced to move when it comes time to transition into assisted living. Storz does not want to see this happen. “It breaks my heart,” he says of the situation. Like her, there are many students who have lived in the New Haven community for over 35 years, “They are happy, successful, and found a community that Conntact.com | Business New Haven