THAT’S THE BIGGEST PART OF OUR SERVICES. WE’RE HELPING THEM GET TO A PLACE OF INDEPENDENCE. WE’VE HAD REALLY GREAT SUCCESS. — Brittany Curl
wants happy employees too, and the non-traditional group home model attracts quality applicants. Many of the 60 employees at Casey’s Dream have been with the company since it started. “It’s hard work, but the good days outnumber the bad days,” Brittany says. She should know. All through college, as she was earning her Human Services Nonprofit Administration degree, she worked in traditional group homes. Now, when there’s a staff shortage or someone’s out sick – and there’s been plenty since the pandemic – Brittany doesn’t hesitate. She jumps in to help, day or night. For night shifts, she bundles up Khalil with is blanket and PJs and brings him along. “He’s used to it. It’s been a part of his life for his whole life,” she says. Casey’s Dream also provides support for individuals who are not independent enough to thrive in a group-home setting. When dealing with a child with severe disabilities, it’s almost impossible to for a parent to keep a job, Brittany says. Casey’s Dream can provide much-needed respite care or parents can apply to work for Casey’s Dream and be paid for providing in-home services for their child. “When we set up services, we make sure that the services mold around what the family wants,” Brittany says. Family involvement is critical, but unfortunately a lot of the individuals served by Casey’s Dream don’t have much family support. Many are essentially homeless. In those cases, Casey’s Dream becomes their family.
Eventually, Casey will come to live in one of Casey’s Dream homes, Brittany says, but she has her own ideas about what she wants for her future and will need some convincing before she will be ready to leave mom and dad. “She’s a little spitfire.” Brittany says. “She’s like what I want to be all the time.” Brittany’s goals for Casey’s Dream are too big to be derailed by cancer. She wants to add more group homes, of course, but she also envisions a day center where individuals can come to participate in group activities and learn life skills. She’s also looking to expand to other communities where there is a need. “I’m just getting started. I have so many individuals I want to help!” she says. It’s been difficult for Brittany to slow down, but all those plans are on hold. “Right now, I’m just trying to heal myself first,” she says. Brittany has never asked her doctors what her prognosis is, and she refuses to Google search the type of cancer she has. She doesn’t want to know if she has months or years left. It doesn’t matter to her. She’s living her life to the fullest, holding her family tight, and has refused to lose sight of her goals. “I have always believed that things don’t happen to you. They happen for you,” Brittany says. “If you think of it that way you have a whole different perspective.” ✻
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