ABOUT BUILD
Our Mission
Build House seeks to provide an alternative to traditional residential placement for Bay Area families and individuals with developmental disabilities. We are a small, non-profit residence in West Berkeley housing 6 individuals with severe to moderate developmental disabilities. We provide quality care while emphasizing family involvement in our resident's active lives as they develop their daily living skills and utilize the many opportunities for community interaction in Berkeley.
Our History
Build House began when a group of parents and disability professionals got together and decided that there should be an alternative to institutional housing for people with severe developmental disabilities. They believed that families who don't want to compromise on their child's quality of life vs. quality of care shouldn't have to. They also believe that parents should actively play a role in the lives of their children, and should be supported and encouraged to do so.
After many years of fundraising and the generous support of private donors, foundations and the City of Berkeley, we opened our doors to our first residents in 2001. We teamed up with Resources for Community Development to renovate a historic Victorian cottage in West Berkeley into a beautiful, wheelchair accessible, universally designed home. We believe that we have a unique model that emphasizes family participation and enables our residents to live active and full lives in their own community.
Build House is licensed as an ICF/DD-H (Intermediate Care Facility/Developmentally Disabled – Habilitative) by the State of California Department of Health Services and is a 501 (c) 3 organization.
Our Program
We provide a unique 1:2 care ratio which we fund through private donations and vigorous fund raising by our volunteer Board of Directors, parents and friends. (Public funding insufficiently ensures a 1:3 ratio of staff to client) Each of our 6 residents has an Individual Service Plan (ISP) that has been created to meet his/her specific needs by their team of family members, community agency representatives, academic professionals, therapists, and staff. (If it really takes a village to raise a child, it's doubly true for kids and young adults with special needs.)
The Future
We have initiated a 5 year strategic planning process in order to open a second home for adults in Berkeley following our model of community involvement and family-directed programming.
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