Jonah turned 23 on March 7. In June, it makes 2 years since he officially graduated from Anderson, and that means time for a move to a group home – except none were available and no agencies were considering him, for whatever the reason. I guess I got a little complacent, figuring he was “flying under the radar,” Survivor-style. I love the people who work with him right where he is, and was in no rush to move him off campus to God-knows-where. We are fortunate to have such wonderful people caring for Boo. A few times I was informed that an agency was “looking” at Jonah, but nothing ever came of it, so when they told me this again recently, I all but ignored it.
But two weeks ago, without warning or fanfare, I got this email from someone at OPWDD:
Please call me to discuss a residential opportunity for Jonah in Saratoga County (Capital District) – see below information:
“No move-in date has been determined. The home we are looking at for Jonah is our IRA (Individualized Residential Alternative) that is located in Ballston Spa NY. The home is currently vacant, so we are working on getting a staffing package together to be able to support admissions into this home, which is why I do not have a date at this time. There are currently no other individuals living at this home. We expect other age out individuals to be moving in around the same time or shortly after Jonah. It is a ranch style home with 5 bedrooms”.
To say I panicked would be the understatement of the year. Would I love to have Jonah a whole hour closer to me? Hell yes. But wow, this is big. There’s so much to consider. When I called to ask about this placement, they assured me that nothing would happen soon. There will be a bunch of meetings first, and Andy and I can make sure the situation is right and the transition as smooth as possible. Of course I have a million questions — more about those soon. I just wanted to share the news because I haven’t written in so long. There is a lot to say about why, but that will have to wait as well. For now just know he’s doing well and there may be big changes ahead!
Happy Spring everyone. I’ll be back soon with more about all of it.
In the meantime, if you’re the praying sort, please say one for the best possible outcome for Boo.
The Never Normal 