Interdependent Living
Program Home Program Mentors Life Skills Videos
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Programs
P.O. Box 4575 Station A
Nanaimo, British Columbia
V9R 6E8 Canada
Toll Free (Tel & Fax):
1 888 716 3231
Program Registration (Tel & Fax):
1 250 716 3231

FASD Interdependent Living Programs for Adults

The Whitecrow Village team has recently undertaken to design unique living arrangements - rooted in principles of interdependence - that support and meet the needs of adults who are affected by FASD.  Specifically, the interdependent living program addresses the need for:

 

      • Safety and self-direction within a trusted group
      • Appropriate responsibilities and benefits
      • A base from which to interact with the larger community
      • Non-prescriptive guidance from peers and supporters
      • Routine and structure
      • A sense of being needed
      • An unchanging postal address

 

The term interdependent captures the supportive interaction exemplified by the Whitecrow Village team.  An interdependent community is one in which all persons are valued, respected, and contribute equally; and where no one person is required nor expected to have all the answers.  It is a community in which a belief in the validity of each person’s perspective, skills, and insights allows us to collectively make good decisions. 

 

 

 

(Interdependent Living) Pilot Project

SofaAt present, Whitecrow Village has established one home in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada where 6 adults with FASD are now living interdependently – 2 of whom are “program mentors.”  This unique living arrangement currently acts as a pilot from which we later intend to devise the necessary research and learning to begin to establish several like interdependent living arrangements locally and to inspire similar projects in other communities. 

 

In the preliminary planning stages of this pilot, project leaders, participants, and supporters discussed and agreed on the daily living structure for the successful interdependence of the occupants.  This structure was then very concretely transferred to the actual household by visiting the home and putting guidelines into place prior to moving in.  Since coming to live in the home, the project participants deliberately practice the agreed upon schedule and continue to discuss, daily, any issues that arise.

 

That these particular householders achieve autonomy in their collective decision making while living with a minimal need for financial support from government and other funding sources is the primary long term goal for this initiative.  In addition, it is anticipated that the fully developed model will demonstrate significant long-term cost savings as well as other benefits to governments and families, enabling more effective and appropriate allocation of funds.

 

 

The (Interdependent Living) Model

The Whitecrow Village team is currently engaged in ongoing research and information gathering to ensure that our interdependent living model is implemented in a sustainable, reproducible manner.  Areas of investigation include the particulars of long term leasing or of ownership; the most appropriate parties in whose name ownership should be designated; the effect of shared home ownership on disability pensions; the means of acquisition, mortgage or lease payments, and insurance; and other responsibilities that coincide with home ownership or long term lease.