It was a hot day in early spring when a small group of Vermont parents settled in to share their dreams of a bright and meaningful future for their children, who had so far not found a place in Vermont to live a dignified adult life. Holding tight to their belief that everyone is both valuable and needed, they started dreaming of an intentional community that would honor the wholeness of every human being. Some of these parents had prior experience with Camphill, having seen their children grow and thrive in this model.
This same group of parents had been working for several years to encourage Vermont to expand housing options for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), beyond the only option available in the state - adult foster care. Elizabeth Campbell, propelled by grief at the loss of her husband to cancer and driven by concern for her son’s future, founded the Developmental Disabilities Housing Initiative (DDHI), a state-wide parent advocacy group. Given the immensely diverse needs of those seeking stable care and homes in Vermont, these families believed it was time to act to bring about long-awaited, expanded living options for their adult children. Through the hard work and persistence of DDHI, the state of Vermont created Act 186, a pilot planning grant for groups interested in establishing alternative models of long-term housing for adults with IDDs in the state.
Inspired to find a community that would not just include but celebrate their children with high support needs, two Vermont families collaborated to fill out the Act 186 planning grant application, hoping this could make their vision of a joy-filled, inclusive community, located within a 35-minute drive of downtown Burlington, a reality. They reached out to Hannah Schwartz, an intentional community consultant with a lifetime of experience in the field, to support their initiative. She was encouraging about the project and enthusiastic about their mission.
The grant went through and the planning commenced: Riverflow Community was born and off to a whirlwind start. Planning meetings, visioning, calling, collaborating - the founding team grew to include a new family, the Langens, and three members with Camphill experience. The vibrancy of our group, the mission to expand options for individuals with significant support needs, and the wish to celebrate being human together through meaningful, lifelong friendships carried us along.
The team worked hard to identify the scope of the community and parameters of the property we would need. This is when the magic happened. On the very same day that the team learned we had been awarded the planning grant, Elizabeth decided she would take a new biking route and fell in love with the area. That night she went online, exploring various homes for sale in Monkton. To her amazement, she found an uncannily ideal home located at 57 Cedar Lane on 30 beautiful acres. She immediately called team member Amy Caffry, who met her at the property the next day. Amy also fell fast for 57 Cedar Lane, but they agreed it was important to explore other properties. The house had not been lived in for six years, had been neglected, and would need a lot of work to become a warm and lively community home.
The search for the right property continued, but nothing struck the team like 57 Cedar Lane, which had many of the qualities we were looking for. We filed our 501(c)(3) application, put together a Board of Directors, formulated bylaws, and scraped the money together to get the Cedar Ln. property off the market. We held a Strategic Planning retreat, confirmed our mission and vision, and set priorities for the first few years. We have been working hard to understand the scope of renovations needed to get the 8-bedroom house out of its sleeping state after six years of being uninhabited and bring it up to compliance with Therapeutic Care Residence (TCR) regulations and accessibility codes.
We have been meeting with experts, getting quotes, and formulating the numbers to begin our first big fundraising campaign. Some of the house needs to comply with TCR regulations: sprinkler system; hard wired alarm system; generator; window replacement; improved heating system; ADA accessible bathroom; renovations to floors and entrances; attic and basement insulation; new well pump and pressure tanks; chimney and roof repair - amounting to at least $450,000. Our largest project will be renovating the old galley kitchen into a kitchen that can support community life.
We have a lot to accomplish and know we need all the help we can get! The planning grant gave us the courage to get started with visions and program design, but we need money for essential bricks and mortar renovations. Our hope is that, with your help and support, we will be able to open the doors of our first home to welcome Duncan, Jesse, and Charlie by October of 2024. Check out our fundraising page to see how you can help!
It is important to know that we are dreaming big because there are many other families like ours out there, wishing for the same joy-filled and meaningful future for their adult children. Over the next ten years, we hope to build 4-5 additional homes, a greenhouse, garden infrastructure, a chicken coop, a yurt for crafting, and a barn. The Riverflow team is committed to bringing into being a community that celebrates diversity and inclusion, that brings everyone involved a deep sense of belonging.
