That doesn’t sit well with some families.
“They didn’t give us a choice of whether he could stay or go,” said Davia Winkle of Springfield, talking about her brother-in-law, Tony Winkle, who is one of the five men and women who will have to move out of the Yellow Cottage.
For decades, the residency program at the Mueller Center has been downsizing, Rousculp-Miller said. That is due in part to changes in state funding for developmental disabilities and a state and national push to have people with disabilities live out in community settings instead of in institutions.
Local funding for the local Developmental Disabilities has also shrunk after two levy requests failed on the ballot.
Only 10 centers like the Mueller Center remain open across Ohio, Rousculp-Miller said.
Once Yellow Cottage is closed, two, 15-bed cottages will still be occupied at the Mueller Center.
Institutionalized housing was common when the Mueller Center was opened in the 1960s, she said. But now there are more options for housing.
“Individuals can get funding and live with mom and dad — or get funding and live with some buddies in a home in the community,” Rousculp-Miller said.
A house that will accommodate up to four people with disabilities is currently being built in Springfield on Virginia Avenue and is funded by a partnership with the Clark County Joint Vocational School, using state money, she added.
State funding for developmental disabilities has changed over recent years to encourage individuals to live in such homes across communities.
“(The state) is not cutting funds, what they’re doing is steering their money to where it’s more enticing for people to take that option,” Rousculp-Miller said.
But some families, like Tony Winkle’s, do not believe independent or even semi-independent living is suitable for their loved ones who currently live in the Mueller Center.
“(Tony) has a lot of medical needs and he cannot talk for himself or express what he needs or wants,” Davia Winkle said.
Tony Winkle has lived at the center since 2000, since his parents died, and Davia Winkle worries another move will disrupt him.
But developmental disability officials believe families need to trust that the county has their loved one’s best interests in mind, Rousculp-Miller said.
The county will assess every individual’s needs before the moves happen, she added, and some family members need to get over the fear of non-institutionalized housing.
Linda Mundhenk’s daughter, Cheryl, moved out of the Mueller Center in the early 2000s, after living there for more than half of her adult life. She was scared that her daughter would not be able to live on her own, but she has thrived since the move to a home that she shares with two other developmentally disabled friends.
“I was scared at first, but she loves it and she has adjusted so well,” Mundhenk said.
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