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Project Free will create a Freedom Village in Southeast Connecticut; a bold new innovation in supportive and community living for intellectually and developmentally disabled adults with disabilities. It will be a Village that enhances independence through continuing education, vocational and skills training, socialization, and entrepreneurial training.

Picture a new England Village with mixed residential, retail, entertainment and public space; a Village that attracts local residents and tourists alike because of its inviting design and appealing shops and activities. Picture a community center, an academy, excellent places to eat, meet and have fun. This is Freedom Village!

Freedom Village will include:

1. A home ownership program
2. A long-term lease/rental program
3. Post secondary academy
4. Retail space for integrated employment

The residents of Freedom Village will live, work, and play in a milieu that bolsters every individual’s opportunity for a satisfying and connected life. Project Free’s goal is to make these opportunities available to high functioning adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have the ability and the desire to be active in planning, directing and enriching their own lives. The shops, restaurants and entertainment centers will be self sustaining businesses for use in vocational training, and the condos will be state of the art affordable housing with a mix of owner and renter occupied units. Freedom Village will be on a main road within walking distance of lively commercial districts with direct access to public transportation and the world beyond.

Project Free will use a Have Supportive Housing Model as its basis. There is evidence to indicate that a lack of stable housing for individuals with disabilities significantly increase costly interventions in their lives by public agencies (Connecticut Department of Developmental Services). This model builds on a proven and effective means of reintegrating adults with disabilities into mainstream communities by combining affordable housing with services tailored to each individual’s needs. Freedom Village’s supportive, affordable, and permanent housing community will provide opportunities for occupants to have control over their lives and the support to participate in the decisions affecting their community and the larger society. Each individual’s independent living environment will be supported by a program of services including education, employment, and social integration. These services focus on identifying and building on individual strengths, skills and talents so that every person can compete in, and contribute to, their community and society.

Project Free will offer a Business Component as part of its services. The goal of this innovative component is to place both first-time job seekers and veteran employees in skilled technical jobs. The National Organization on Disability based in Washington, D.C., estimates that about 54 million Americans, 19 percent of the population, have some disability. In a survey completed by this organization only 56% of those individuals with disabilities who said they were capable of work, were able to find part or full-time employment. High rates of joblessness means the American economy loses about $200 billion in taxes and earnings annually, according to the American Association of People with Disabilities in Washington, D.C,

Project Free’s innovative business component takes vocational training and job placement for individuals with developmental disabilities to a new and advanced level. The mixed use of self-sustaining businesses and residences will contribute to the vibrancy of neighborhood life and further the goal of integration and independence. Occupants will be able to: explore integrated employment choices; develop entrepreneurial skills; and build on peer and social interactions. A unique element of Freedom Village is the opportunity for both first time employment seekers and experienced employees to explore diverse career options in a variety of skilled, wage earning positions. The development of space for commercial use provides the perfect setting for occupants to experience vocational training and career development. Occupants will then make their own career and employment choices with the support of on-site specialists.

On-site specialists will help persons to develop goals, skills and ability to attain competitive employment. Adults living at Freedom Village will have the opportunity for training and employment in commercial, profit making enterprises in the Village and will be provided with employment choices, training and satisfying, wage earning work. The business centers will be carefully chosen by the Project Free developers to ensure that every training/working site will develop skills and employment that provide both livable wages and satisfying work experience.

Continuing education will be encouraged at Project Free. It will strive to attract qualified and certified educational instructors for its learning institution. Freedom Academy will include state of the art classrooms, resource library, and computer laboratory to assist adults in attaining their educational and vocational goals. Tutoring and programs to assist students in earning a Graduate Equivalency Diploma will be fundamental parts of the program. In an effort to provide quality educational and vocational experiences for students with developmentally disabilities, Freedom Academy will provide a comprehensive, continuing education program specifically designed to meet the needs of a variety of students. Students will enroll at Freedom Academy to experience a new version of post secondary opportunities that utilizes various learning and teaching models to maximize student potential and success. The goal of our Academy is to create and foster an adult learning community that is rich in positive learning experiences, enrichment, and opportunities to enhance independent living skills. Freedom Academy will individualize each student’s educational process and offer the following structured courses to address their ongoing academic, social, and vocational needs.