A place to call home

Nestled in the country or tucked away along village side streets, ARC houses look ordinary - but that's the point.

ARC Housing, part of the ARC of Ohio in Mercer County, provides independent-living options to people with developmental disabilities. Seven homes are in Coldwater, Celina and Maria Stein, available for area adults with developmental disabilities who are looking to live independently.

"They're spread out and fit in with the neighborhood around them," Mercer County Board of Developmental Disabilities Superintendent Shawn Thieman said. "A lot of the time you can drive by and not see anything special about them at all. That's an important thing, I think, for them to not be segregated but rather integrated."

As with most children, eventually the time comes to leave home. Not every agency client is willing or able, but for the ones who are, the ARC Housing organization works to help them live in their own homes. It's a fairly independent situation, though most, if not all, clients still receive care from their providers.

"A lot of them work in the community, go out in the community," Cathy Schmitmeyer of ARC Housing said.

"They lead lives just like most every other one of us, with a little assistance sometimes," her husband, Pat, added.

ARC Housing and the DD board cooperate to match adults with living situations that suit their needs and wishes. ARC Housing charges clients rent to live in homes owned by the organization and acts as a landlord of sorts, maintaining the properties and making repairs.

"People with disabilities still have responsibilities. They have rent, expenses. We don't do that for them," Thieman said.

Grants and rent help fund the program. Any extra rent money goes to renovating or purchasing houses, the Schmitmeyers said.

"It's a nonprofit. So it all goes back to the housing. If we do get a little ahead, that's how we flip houses," Pat Schmitmeyer said.

The DD board can apply for funds for capital needs as long as it works with a housing organization, Thieman explained.

"The board doesn't own homes," he said. "So we've kind of allowed (ARC) to be the exclusive provider of that. It makes sense for a county our size to only have the one. It makes it easier for that organization to grow and they have a lot of experience, so they understand what is most important in making a house handicap-accessible."

Along with rent, residents are responsible for utilities. Even with that, living independently is often less expensive than living in nursing homes or with round-the-clock care, the Schmitmeyers said. Because all residents have roommates, they can share care services, making the arrangement more cost-effective.

"It's kind of pricey, to have that much money to do it on their own," Cathy Schmitmeyer said.

County ARC president Diane Menchhofer said ARC Housing is a blessing for both residents and their families. She has a foster son of sorts, Ted, who lives at a Maria Stein ARC home. She said it was important to her and her husband, Tim, to find Ted a home of his own, partly because of his own wishes and partly because of their concerns about his future.

"I just think they reach a certain age where they don't want to be at home," she said. "And we wanted to get him settled somewhere before something happened to us. If something happened to us, he would not only lose us, but he would lose his home. This way, he's settled into his own home if something happens."

ARC Housing has provided a wide array of living situations allowing people to live with more freedom and flexibility, Thieman said. ARC is the only organization offering a residential service of this type to the DD board. Other providers have group homes or home care but not rental housing.

"Without them, we would not have that availability of housing," Thieman said. "It's just been a wonderful program for us."

Besides being available at reasonable rates, what makes the houses special is the way they're tailored to their residents. ARC Housing looks for homes that are handicap-accessible. Depending on the residents' needs, handicap considerations in the homes range from step-in showers to oversized tubs, a garage that can accommodate handicapped vans and a ceiling track that provides lift stations in bedrooms and a bathroom.

The Mercer County's ARC branch began in 1961. ARC Housing was established in the mid-1990s through the efforts of Roger Sudhoff. Pat and Cathy Schmitmeyer have been working with the organization for about 10 years, with help from Larry Braun, who does repair work. It can be difficult at times dealing with renovations and repairs that crop up along the way, but the hard-working couple doesn't complain.

"It's just very rewarding," Cathy Schmitmeyer said. "You feel like you're doing something good. These people are great people."

For more information about the program or volunteer opportunities, visit thearcofohio.org.