Our Own House”: Building a Community Where Adults with Disabilities Can Truly Belong
In New Hampshire, the affordable housing crisis is particularly severe for one vulnerable group—adults with developmental disabilities. For many of these individuals and their families, the challenge is not just finding a place to live—it’s finding a home that includes support, safety, independence, and community.
For most parents of adults with disabilities, the default solution is for their children to remain at home. This often isn’t by choice, but rather by necessity. Limited funding, inadequate housing options, and a shortage of qualified support staff make independent living almost impossible for many. But we believe that everyone deserves a life of dignity, belonging, and autonomy—including our sons and daughters.
When Independent Living Becomes a Full-Time Job—for Parents
As a parent, I always dreamed of my son William having a place of his own—a real home, not a temporary setup or institutional space. When he graduated from ConVal High School, he moved into a house on Summer Street in Peterborough. I arranged live-in support and workplace assistance so he could begin his journey toward independence.
But it quickly became clear that this arrangement was not sustainable. Without his friends from school or family nearby, William was isolated. His support team was hired, not chosen, and I found myself coordinating every aspect of his life—housing, work, meals, recreation—on top of my full-time job.
This is the reality for many families of adults with developmental disabilities: independence for their children often comes at a crushing cost to the parents, both financially and emotionally.
Housing Instability: A Common Story
Since 2008, William has been unhoused five times. One of his most stable and fulfilling living experiences came when he moved to a farm-based community—a place designed for collaboration, mutual support, and shared living. There, he had purpose, peers, structure, and dignity. It was everything I had ever hoped for him.
But like many such programs, the community eventually became overwhelmed by the administrative burden of Medicaid compliance. Though Medicaid is a critical funding source for daily living and care, its requirements can be so onerous that some organizations are forced to serve only private-pay clients, excluding those who rely on public assistance. Once again, William had to move.
This is a heartbreaking, all-too-common pattern. People with disabilities are often the first to be displaced when programs shut down or when financial models shift.
Dreaming of Something Better: A Permanent Solution in Peterborough
Thankfully, William was welcomed back into a supportive Peterborough home by a family he had previously lived with. Even better, that family was expanding their Perfect Peace residential program in Jaffrey to include a day program in Peterborough, offering renewed hope.
But this patchwork system—families patching together housing, day programs, and staffing—is not the long-term answer. What William and others like him need is permanence, stability, and true community.
We envision a place where the support staff rotate, not the resident. A place where adults with disabilities don’t have to pack their lives into boxes again and again, simply because programs dissolve or funding falls through. A place where people like William can build friendships, contribute meaningfully, and call somewhere home—for good.
Introducing: Our Own House—A New Housing Model for Adults with Disabilities
In January, we took the first steps toward building that vision. We formed a board and created an LLC called Our Own House. Together, we are parents, community members, and advocates from Peterborough, Francestown, Jaffrey, and Temple, united by a shared dream: to develop a community-based housing model for adults with disabilities.
Our goal is to purchase or develop a property near downtown Peterborough that can be customized to meet the daily living, social, and support needs of adults with developmental disabilities. It will be a place where residents thrive, not just survive—a place infused with connection, dignity, and sustainability.
This dream is born of necessity. Since New Hampshire became the first state to close its state-run institutions for people with developmental disabilities in 1991, families like ours have been left to create solutions from scratch. Now, more than ever, it’s time to take that next step.
How You Can Help Create “Our Own House”
We are still in the early stages—and this is when your voice, time, or expertise can make the biggest impact. If you’ve ever wished there was something you could do to support adults with disabilities and their families, this is your opportunity.
Here are a few ways to get involved:
Join our community meetings: We gather every other Tuesday at the Peterborough Library, starting October 24th, to share ideas and build this dream together.
Help us find a property: Know of land or a building in downtown Peterborough that could be transformed into a vibrant community home? Let us know!
Donate your skills: We need legal advisors, builders, nonprofit experts, caregivers, grant writers, and advocates.
Spread the word: Share our story with your friends, family, and neighbors. Awareness leads to action.
Because Everyone Deserves a Place to Belong
Housing is more than shelter. For adults with developmental disabilities, it’s the cornerstone of stability, confidence, and connection. Our vision for “Our Own House” is not just about bricks and mortar—it’s about community, dignity, and hope.
We know we’re not alone in this journey. There are so many families, educators, employers, and neighbors who care deeply and want to see our sons and daughters live full, independent lives. Let’s come together to make that vision real.
Join us. Support us. Build with us. For William, and for every adult who deserves to come home and stay home.
