All of the people we support:

• live in their own homes
  (houses or apartments that they rent or own)
• have an advisor who supports their planning, coordination, and problem solving
• hire, and fire their own staff
• have an individual budget for supports and services

Every person's situation is different, but to make that possible we have developed five aspects to our supports:

• Individual Budgets
• Advisors
• Planning
• Support Circles
• Customized Staffing Support

We began in New Jersey. In 1994 Patti Scott and Kenn Jupp began to think about what it would look like to support people with disabilities as citizens -- individuals, with gifts, skills, dreams, goals, and the ability to be participating members of the communities where they choose to live. In 1995 Neighbours Inc. was born!

Neighbours Inc. supports people --- one person at a time.
So we do things a little differently:

• We don't have a big head office. All of our staff work from home offices using a computer, cell phone, and a car to get to the important places --- the homes of the people we support, and the communities in which they live.

• We have what is known as a "flat organizational structure". There aren't a lot of layers of administration. We have a Management Team, and Advisors. All of the personal support staff work directly for the people they provide personal assistance for.

• We don't have any desire to become a big agency. We believe that it becomes harder to listen to the individual voices of the people that we support if we get too big.

• And all of the people we support have an individual budget for their personal supports provided by the New Jersey State Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD).

We are committed to continually looking at how our organization affects the choices of the people we support, and to ensuring that we do not get in the way of people living the life they choose.

Sandi Cooper
Director
Neighbours Inc. (NJ)

Email: sandi.cooper@earthlink.net
Phone: (908) 581-3998
Fax: (267) 375-4103