Friday 10 August 2012

Napanee Groups Home in the news as neighbours abuse residents

Three years ago Ontario closed the institutions for adults like this. They put nothing else in place.

As we were doing beach day,
a group of developmentally disabled young people
arrived with their carers.
They proved no problem.

I find it amazing that in this day and age, an affluent community is actively lobbying against having this group home on their street. It was alright, apparently, when the group home had a couple of developmentally disabled adults in the home. But when they moved to a larger home, took in a client with schizophrenia, the professionals who live near-by began a lobbying campaign to scare them away.
The home was granted a permit, with Kendra Henley, a nurse, running the home where she and her family lived.

They tried getting them out using the political process, lobbying the mayor, when that didn't work they began lobbing eggs at the clients, already fragile human beings. They have called them 'retards' to their faces. In an interview and phone-in show on CBC radio, Kendra told story after story of threats and assaults, while phone-in guests told story after story of successful group homes like this.

Group home visitors did not dampen our beach day
If anyone has worked with developmentally disabled adults, you'll know how joyful and loving they can be. For those with schizophrenia, in a well-supervised program, with checks and balances that their medications are on track, you'll know how successful they can be.
For those seeking group homes for adult loved ones with such health issues, you'll know how much they worry that elderly family members find a place in society.
What a way for the wealthy homeowners, professionals, to treat their neighbours. Shame.



Group home under fire listen to the radio show here
... August 8 - Neighbours are fighting a group home in Napanee for people with
mental illness and developmental disabilities. 


Napanee group home owners, residents, file human rights applications 
 TheTyee.ca
NAPANEEOnt. -
The owners of a group home in southeastern  Ontario that caters to adults with mental disabilities have filed human rights complaints against their town. Kendra Henley, who runs Abbey Dawn Place in Napanee Ont., Henley, 50, opened the home in 2010 after retiring from a career as a nurse. At the time, she registered her facility and received necessary regulatory approvals from the town. She said the home is for semi-independent adults with mental disabilities like Down syndrome and schizophrenia. "It's almost like a foster home for adults," Henley said. "The clients live with our family, they eat with us, we eat the same food, we sleep in the same house, we're always under the same roof."

Town of Greater Napanee facing human rights complaints

NAPANEE - A Napanee couple is going public with their continued struggle to operate a group home for developmentally challenged adults. Brian and Kendra Henley say their group home, Abbey Dawn Place, has been the target of prolonged hostility and The Ontario Human Rights Commission will be intervening in the issue, and Chief Commissioner Barbara Hall of the OHRC, in a press release dated Aug. 8, urged the town of Napanee to "consider vulnerable people who live in your community, whose lives are...

4 comments:

Pearl said...

For shame.

One can easily envision the middle ages at times. We have to wonder just how thin our veneer of civilization is at times...

Pearl

Red said...

It's always the same. Not in my neighbor hood. Ignorance is there in massive doses.
One of the brightest kids I ever taught is schizophrenic and he doesn't get lot of help. Some days he's right on the edge.

Linda said...

I used to be a church choir director and music minister - I always had choir for the developmentally disabled adults. One Sunday, when they were going to sing for their families at service, some of the "regular" choir members got upset that I was going to let them wear choir robes. Guess they thought it would rub off? I was so disgusted...anyway, that group of people were so loving and caring, they were a joy to work with! People just don't know what they are missing...

Christine said...

This is terrible, it's not as if they are criminals and a harm to society.