Sheltered Living – Serving people with disabilities since 1971
1970
In the spring of 1970, families and concerned community advocates formed a committee to study the need for residential living facilities for adults with mental retardation.
1971
Their vision and enthusiasm led to the incorporation of Sheltered Living, Inc. Until that time families with children who had disabilities had to make a choice between keeping adult children at home and institutionalizing them.
1972
The first group home opened at 1216 Fillmore. Twelve men and women from Topeka and surrounding towns moved in.
1977
Maggie Beers chaired the first Festival of Trees. At that time Sheltered Living, Inc. was short $16,000 to balance the budget. That year the Festival raised $16,000!
1980
We expanded our service delivery to include Independent Living. Many persons served had gained the skills to live in a less restrictive environment. Sheltered Living counselors helped Independent Living clients learn how to budget for food and grocery shopping, how to use the bus system, money management and other skills.
1980’s
As new people came into our services and existing persons served asked to move to smaller homes, we began to offer Semi-Independent Living opportunities in small apartments. Staff lived on-site and were able to help with daily living skills and transportation.
1991
We opened our first Assisted Living apartments at Brookfield and Villa West. This was the first time in Topeka an agency provided services for individuals with severe and multiple disabilities. The developers for each complex worked with us to design the living spaces to meet the needs of our persons served. At each complex, two apartments were linked together and it was the first time we employed awake staff overnight.
1991+
We built 3 additional group homes to meet the expanding need for services and continued to open apartments. State institutions were downsizing and the Topeka State Hospital closed.
1992
The staff outgrew the basement office of our group home on 36th Street and the Board of Directors purchased the Cattlemen’s Association building on Fillmore Street. Since 1972 we had provided only residential programs and all of our persons served either worked or received day services from other agencies. In ’92 some of our clients had no day service programs to attend and we opened our first program in the basement where the former office had been.
1996
We purchased and remodeled the church across the street from the main office, opening the Maggie Beers Training Center for persons served who needed an alternative day program.
2006
We earned our 4th Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) award. CARF is an international organization. This accreditation outcome represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and demonstrates the organization’s substantial conformance to the standards established by CARF. An organization receiving a Three Year Accreditation outcome has put itself through a rigorous peer review process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during on an on-site visit that its programs and services are of the highest quality, measurable, and accountable.
CARF is an independent not-for profit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1996 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, now known as CARF, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services.
2008
We purchased a home on 31st Street that has living areas on both the main and lower levels. Five young men moved in at the end of July.
2009
We provided Community Living (residential services) for 158 men and women. Thirty nine clients attend the Day program. Five case managers work with 126 families. In total, we provide services for 229 men, women and children in the three services delivery areas and employ 170 staff. We earned our 5th Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) award.
2010
In order to consolidate and also provide better services to many of our clients, we acquired 3 brand new side-by-side homes built for our persons served.
2011
We celebrated our 40th Anniversary of providing services in Topeka. Since the early days, Sheltered Living, Inc. has always been on the leading edge of services for individuals with intellectual disabilities. We began the Sheltered Living Legacy Campaign in 2011 to continue to be in the forefront of service delivery. Upon successful completion of the campaign, the day program, case management services, residential and administrative personnel will be headquartered in one location at 3401 SW Harrison.
