Steps to Shared Living

Are you interested in sharing your life and a home with an intellectually or physically disabled person? Shared living is a customized service designed to address the unique personality and needs of the person who will receive services. 

Nonotuck Resources Associates, Inc. has been offering residential services to people with intellectual disabilities since 1972. In shared living, our goal is for an individual, a couple or a family to share their lives with a person who has a disability in an authentic, loving and respectful relationship of mutual dependence.

The first step to becoming a shared living provider is to get an application packet from a placement specialist. Once the packet is completed and returned, the placement specialist will schedule a home visit. This visit allows them to meet your family and begin the screening process. Screening includes:

• An interview/home study that helps the specialist learn more about you and/or your family.
• A home safety inspection that makes sure your home is safe for a person with a disability.
• A criminal background check, a fingerprint check and a reference check.

Providers must also be certified in CPR and first aid. 

Once an individual or family is approved as a shared living provider, Nonotuck works hard to match them to a person with a disability. We match people based on factors such as their interests, likes and dislikes, personality, culture, and routine.

Nonotuck listens carefully to the person needing care, giving that person a voice and a choice in determining where they live and with whom they live. This is a key step to finding a good fit between shared living providers and the people they care for. A good fit is important, because it means a shared living relationship is more likely to succeed.

Shared living can be a long-term commitment or an interim commitment. In either case, it’s an opportunity to provide a safe and nurturing home to an adult in need of support and companionship. 

Click here to learn more about becoming a shared living provider, or to find a placement specialist in your area.