During the 1980s federal and state statutes were enacted with the promise of "deinstitutionalizing" disabled individuals, including teens. Community-based treatment and support became the objective of this legislation.
To provide for teenagers who moved from institutional to community settings, group homes for disabled teens are established in cities and towns across the United States.
Group homes for disabled teens.
Types
There are a variety of types of group homes for disabled teens. The three most common types of these community-based residential programs are those designed for teens with physical disabilities, those for teenagers who are afflicted with some sort of mental health problem, and facilities designed for youths deemed to be developmentally disabled.
In some communities there are more comprehensive group homes for disabled teens that are suitable for youths with a combination of disabilities, including mental and physical problems.
Function
The function and purpose of group homes for disabled teens is to provide young people with a supportive and safe living environment in the community. The concept is that are able to have more full, complete and satisfying lives when provided the opportunity to reside within the community in a group-home setting.
Historically, when disabled teens were placed in institutions, their contact with the community at large was extremely limited if they enjoyed any at all. Group homes permit disabled teens a more ready and accessible gateway to the world at large and to more fulfilling and appealing lives.
Effects
Studies, including those referenced in "Safety In Numbers: Teens Write About Group Homes That Work," by the Youth Communication organization, reveal that have a positive effect on the lives of disabled teenagers in a number of ways.
Teens in group homes have access to a wider array of community based resources--including treatment and social resources that are not readily available in an institutional setting. Moreover, teens living in group homes also tend to have more frequent interaction with their families than is the case with youth who reside in institutions. Finally, teenagers in these types of community based residential settings enjoy a better chance of maximizing their own potential independence in the course of their day-to-day living.
Size
There are variations in the size of different group homes for disabled teenagers in operation in communities across the United States. Of course, the size of the premises dictates how many teens can live in a residence. Additionally, states and municipalities have laws governing the maximum number of residents who can live in a group home for disabled teens.
Typically, the number of residents in a group home for disabled teens runs from four young people to a dozen.
Time Frame
The amount of time that a disabled youth can reside in a group home for teens normally is open-ended. These types of homes are not transitional facilities in most cases. They are designed to provide long-term, stable living environments for teens with physical or mental disabilities or who are developmentally disabled.
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