A Connecticut nonprofit has received a $2.5 million state grant to help build an independent living and workforce development center for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Steve Morris, executive director of the Canton-based Favarh — The Arc of Farmington Valley, said at a news briefing outside the facility on Monday that the grant would allow the facility to provide intellectual and developmental disability clients with the ability to live as independently as possible while maintaining dignity and safety.
“Two questions define who we are today. Where do you work and where do you live? And adults with IDD deserve meaningful answers to both,” he said.
Morris said the center will also provide specialized training and support services necessary to achieve meaningful employment.
“Favarh’s UConn Health program is leading the way, not only as Connecticut’s first, but as its most successful Project SEARCH program, with a 98% placement rate for graduates after graduation,“ he said.
The center is one of 18 sites in the state that provides Project SEARCH, a nine-month internship training program for young adults who are eligible for state developmental services and need intensive employment skills.
